If you’re a consumer worried about global warming, but you feel uncertain about how to make a difference, you should check out a new product called CO2code, which offers a promising approach to the issue. In many ways, CO2code (developed by eFormic) operates like the “organic” label you already see on many products, but it’s [...]
The process begins when companies purchase an offset for a product’s carbon footprint — offsets can take the form of support for renewable energy, or the planting of trees to absorb carbon dioxide. Then a unique CO2code is printed on the label that comes with each product. By entering a CO2code into the project’s web site, consumers get an explanation of how that particular product was offset, and in some cases get to choose which projects their money supports.
The other cool thing about CO2code is that it provides a relatively low-cost way for companies to become environmentally-friendly, and to market that fact. It can cost as little as 2 cents to offset the carbon footprint of a single orange juice carton, including the CO2code. Companies can also specify whether they want to offset just the production, or the storage and delivery of a product as well.
A startup called GoodGuide got a lot of buzz recently for its compreheensive approach to ethical shopping. CO2code is focused on a specific issue, but is similarly comprehensive in that it can work with pretty much any product.
Freiberg, Germany-based eFormic (the company behind CO2code) is self-funded.
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