A pilot scheme of carbon labelling will be seen on 20 products in Tesco stores showing the emissions per helping on the products.

The Carbon Trust is supporting the new initiative which aims to add the power of consumer spending to a political effort to cut down greenhouse gas emissions.

Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, spoke of the company’s “delight” at taking this step with the Carbon Trust.

“We want to give our customers the power to make informed green choices for their weekly shop, and enlist their help in working towards a revolution in green consumption,” added Mr Leahy.

The carbon footprint of the products was measured using the draft Publicly Available Specification 2050 methodology, which is being developed by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in collaboration with the BSI British Standards.

In April, Tesco Ireland announced that it will be opening its first eco-store in October, Waterford Today reported.

It claims that the new supermarket will use 45% less energy than a standard store and will save 420 tonnes of CO2 per year, an annual saving of 30%.

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