Netto will be the first retail chain in Denmark to help customers make more climate-conscious choices through climate labeling of food. This is being done in a pilot in selected stores, where signage and labeling of the products leads customers to the less climate-damaging alternatives. The goal is to contribute to more common climate labeling in the retail sector, thereby reducing Denmark's total CO2 emissions.
Many Danes want to make a difference to the climate and reduce their carbon footprint. This also applies to shopping. With the country's first climate label, Netto now helps anyone who wants to make climate-friendly choices when they are shopping for food.
Two out of three Danes want to eat less meat and more vegetables, and a third of Danes expect to eat more climate-friendly food within two years. But at the same time, many people are asking for help and guidance, as figuring out what to buy is not necessarily easy if you want to take care of the climate through your shopping habits.
Photo: Salling Group
"Fortunately, many want to make a difference to the climate and our common future. It is therefore our responsibility as a supermarket to make it easier for our customers to choose items with a lower climate footprint. We want Netto to be the first in Denmark to launch a real climate label that gives customers concrete advice and guidance while they are in the store,” says Michael Løve, director of Netto.
Collaboration with experts
More specifically, the new schedule means that customers in the store are presented with new signs and brands on the shelves. As a customer, you can therefore see which products have a low climate footprint compared to all products in the store, and which have a low climate footprint within the individual product category. At the same time, you will be informed about, among other things, the climate footprint of individual product types within both fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, fish and poultry.
"We've tried to create a climate label that is easy to navigate. And anyone who wants to act more climate-friendly and less damaging can use it. There is no doubt that it is a complex matter, and unfortunately this complexity has probably stood in the way of the good intentions of many in the world. But that is precisely why it is important that we get started and launch a climate label that makes it possible to make qualified and conscious choices," he explains.
The climate labeling is based on the large climate database compiled by the green think tank CONCITO. Here, the climate footprint of 500 foods is mapped, so that they can be compared across categories. Both CONCITO and a number of other experts assisted Netto in drawing up the climate label.
Pilots in Copenhagen and Horsens
To begin with, climate labeling will take place as a pilot in two stores in Copenhagen and Horsens, respectively, where Netto's new sustainable store is located. Over the coming months, experiences, customer feedback and the actual purchase pattern will be analysed to see whether climate labeling actually contributes to more climate-friendly purchases.
Common climate label
The ambition is that the pilot test can contribute to a common climate label, which could reduce Denmark's total CO2 emissions. "As Netto, we hope that very soon we will be able to come together on a common, national climate label for the entire retail sector. Because we believe it can make a difference. But it does not exist yet, which is why we chose to run this pilot with a climate label, where we gain some experience and insist on development. The pilot will run for a limited period of time, after which we will see how the customers receive the scheme, and we will share all the experiences we gain so that we can take the next, joint steps. "