MADRID – The introduction of the Nutriscore food labelling system in Spain is still under discussion. Meanwhile, a new ‘traffic light’ Eco-score system has emerged that measures the environmental impact of supermarket products.
Eco-score was developed and launched in France this year and is now gradually spreading across Europe. Furthermore, according to the EFE news agency, which relies on distribution sector sources, it will be arriving in Spain soon.
Various market studies have shown that sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the food sector. This stems from the growing environmental awareness among consumers. Retail chain Lidl is already testing the new label in Germany and Carrefour is trying it out in France.
Tree leaf logo
Visually, Eco-score is very similar to Nutriscore: based on the score (from 0 to 100), a product is assigned one of the five available colours (from green to red, from most durable to least) and one of five letters (from A to E, also from most durable to least). The logo in the form of a tree leaf is new.
Citizens’ initiative
Among the promoters of Eco-score are some companies and institutions that specialise in providing information to consumers, such as Yuka, Open Food Facts, or Eco2. At the end of June, they submitted a citizens’ initiative to the European Commission. One million signatures were collected asking the Commission to make a reliable European ecological score mandatory. It should consist of a label that provides consumers with clear information about the environmental impact of the products they buy.
Food and clothing label for now
Although it is the ambition to expand the introduction of the label to all kinds of product categories, the initiative focuses primarily on food and clothing. The scoring system is provisionally based on an analysis of the life cycle of a product. It looks at all stages, from cultivation, industrial processing, transport to packaging, etc.
Life Cycle Assessment
The life cycle assessment includes 16 sections related to the protection of air, soil, and water. Points can be added later, for example with regard to the cultivation method (if it is organic or local, it will get better marks), the environmental policy of the manufacturer, whether or not the packaging is circular, or whether the production supports the survival of any animal. or plant species.
