Many business organizations have set a specific number for minimizing carbon dioxide emissions (Low-Carbon Economy) by calculating the Carbon Footprint or greenhouse gas volume released by business organizations during the entire product life cycle from raw materials, transportation, assembling, operation, to waste management. During the process of figuring out the method of lowering carbon dioxide emissions, business organizations should consider conveying a message related to Carbon Footprint to consumers. The attempt is going to show sincerity, seriousness, and commitment to their own organizations and to societies with regard to an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which consequently will create a positive image of the organizations. Carbon Labeling displays a carbon footprint’s index number of products or services. The label will be attached on a product or a product container, and also displays the emitted levels (highest, high, medium, low , or lowest) of greenhouse gas that each product or service has emitted. In displaying a result, the assessment will be measured by an index of five numbers which range from 1-5.
Consumers will be able to use information from an identified index number to make a decision when purchasing a product or when adjusting a product or service instruction. This new environmentally friendly concept allows public cooperation in reducing global warming and it will lead to marketing mechanism that will stimulate and push forward to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from production and consumption.As such implementing a Low-Carbon Economy not only helps relieve an environmental concern, but it also increases a competitive advantage in the global market. Many nations including England, France, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and Korea, have begun to become Low-Carbon Economies. Those nations have been requesting imported merchandise from Thailand to be attached with a carbon label. With a clear plan of a project procedure and of data collection from greenhouse gas emissions, Thailand will be in a position of having more negotiating power in a worldwide conference level to determine a global warming mitigation strategy.
A Carbon Footprint Mitigation Strategy
For producers: 1 Starting from merchandise packaging in making a product, producers should use natural raw materials like a Bio-plastics that has been widely talked about among consumers worldwide and it has been used in many industries. In addition, producers should select a type of material that can be readily recycled. If it is possible in the case of using several layers of packaging materials. The outer layer of the material should be recyclable. 2 Carbon dioxide in production processing can be reduced by implementing technologies or using machinery
To purchase merchandise, consumers should pay attention to where the product was made and what production processing was involved. Consumers should avoid merchandise that travels a far distance or emits a great deal of greenhouse gases. Examples of greenhouse gas emissions are the following:1. In some countries, water bottles are still more popular than tap water even if tap water is drinkable. Because mineral water is typically found in remote areas, the water will increase carbon dioxide emissions from transportation, and also from the process of manufacturing the water containers and recycling those containers.
2. Consumers should avoid purchasing foods and beverages from remote locations. When purchasing products in markets, consumers should be purchasing products that are domestically made rather than purchasing products that are made from distance countries.
3. Consumers should reduce red meat consumption because red meat products release a higher volume of toxins many times greater than white meat products like fish and chicken.
4. Considering whether to use a packaging container or not, consumers should avoid using plastic bags or containers if they can carry merchandise that they purchased. So the sellers would have no need to put merchandise in plastic bags.
