The Carbon Trust moots kite mark to aid efficiency

The Carbon Trust is considering rolling out a “kite mark” of carbon efficiency that could be used by both companies and products. The mark would aim to give environmentally minded consumers confidence when using products and services.

The idea is in research and the government-funded body says it is in the very early stages of consultation on the proposal.

There is an existing scheme, called the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS), but this can only be applied to companies and organisations.

Peter Hambly, director of marketing and communications at the Carbon Trust, says the EEAS is adequate for rating companies’ energy efficiency but says consumers are becoming more demanding.

He says: “A wider and fuller scheme, which incorporates products and companies, would enable consumers to make more informed choices.”

But he adds that the Carbon Trust has to be careful about developing the proposed scheme as it will be costly and require a lot of research. He says: “We want such a scheme to be long-lasting, but there are many complications.”

The EEAS, established in 1993, is managed by the National Energy Foundation on behalf of the Carbon Trust. The Energy Institute acts as an independent body, awarding an EEAS mark to companies that can prove significant improvements in their energy efficiency. More than 200 organisations have been accredited, saving over &£100m from their energy bills since joining the scheme.