Marshalls plc has today (Monday 15 December) released official data showing the carbon footprints of every item in its domestic product range.

In an industry first, consumers will now be able to compare the Carbon Reduction Labels across an entire range of hard landscaping products and make their purchasing decisions based on their carbon impact.

The domestic range includes 503 products. Each product features the Carbon Trust's Carbon Reduction Label that shows the volume of all greenhouse gases emitted during the product's lifecycle. All data is measured in compliance with the international PAS 2050 method for footprinting that has been developed by BSI British Standards, the Carbon Trust and Defra.

The data is the result of an 18-month pilot with the Carbon Trust's labelling programme which has awarded Marshalls independent certification against the PAS 2050 and enables the footprints across its product range to be compared against one another. The announcement makes Marshalls one of the world's leading companies in terms of carbon labelling, with the largest number of products labelled anywhere across the globe.

Chris Harrop, Group Marketing Director at Marshalls said: "Marshalls is committed to reducing carbon emissions, which is why we're working with the Carbon Trust. It has been interesting to see how all the products in our range compare with each other. We've been really pleased with the actual carbon
footprints - testament, we feel, to concerted efforts in sourcing materials responsibly and evaluating manufacturing, logistical and administrative processes.

"An important part of the work with the Carbon Trust was the decision to label the entire range. We wanted to ensure that consumers were able to make real comparisons and educated decisions about the carbon impact of their product choice, and this can only be done if an entire range is labelled."

Marshalls has one of the widest product ranges in the industry for both patios and driveways. For patio paving its product range offers consumers a large choice of products that can be chosen against functional, aesthetic and carbon footprint criteria.

Comparisons include paving products such as Saxon with a footprint of 14kg CO2 per m2, to Heritage paving, with a look of time worn Yorkstone paving at 17kg CO2 per m2, and imported natural sandstone at 28kg CO2 per m2.

In its driveway range, products such as Driveline 50 have a carbon footprint of 16kg CO2 per m2, while the carbon emission from a competitor's equivalent product is up to 20kg CO2 per m2. While a 4kg difference may sound like a small number, in terms of an average driveway it is equal to 240kg. This emission is comparable to driving an average family car from Land's End to John O'Groats
(837 miles).

Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust said: "If we are to meet thiscountry's emission reduction targets by 2050, we need innovative businesses to lead the way in their industries. Marshalls has already shown this leadership and their commitment to tackling climate change through their pilot of the Carbon Reduction Label, supported by the PAS 2050 footprinting method.

"Working with the Carbon Trust means Marshalls can identify opportunities to reduce emissions across its supply chain and give them the ability to compare products across an entire range. Using the Carbon Reduction Label to communicate this gives Marshalls' customers the added benefit of factoring a product's carbon impact into their buying decisions."

Support for Marshalls commitment to carbon labelling also comes from Jonathon Porritt, Programme Director of Forum for the Future and Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission, he said: "I am extremely encouraged by Marshalls' commitment to carbon reduction, particularly as they have gone that one step further by labelling an entire product range, while others are initially only piloting a few products. This is exactly the kind of leadership we need to see a lot more of in this and other sectors."

By working with the Carbon Trust, Marshalls has agreed to further reduce its carbon emissions over a two-year period which will allow it to continue to use the Carbon Reduction Label on its products.

Marshalls has launched a Guide to Carbon Labelling for consumers that is available online at www.marshalls.co.uk. The hard landscaping company was also the first in its industry to launch an online carbon calculator. The calculator allows people to measure the carbon impact of their purchase and informs them how they can offset against this.

Marshalls will now start the process of labelling its products.

Email: laura@ethical-comms.com