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We like Organic food, Sustainable Farming, Fair Trade, and so on. Most people willingly pay extra for foods labeled as such.
The other day I was thinking about manufactured goods and how they are produced. For example a widget made in China may be produced using coal-fired electricity. A comparable widget made in the U.S. may be produced using natural gas-fired, nuclear, or renewably-sourced electricity.
Is there a certification process or a proposal for such a certification, for manufactured goods made using "Carbon Neutral" or "Green Friendly" electricity?
Soooo does anything think this would be a good idea, or a bad idea?
Would it make a difference in your purchase choice, if one product was manufactured using renewable energy, while a competing product was produced using coal-fired power? What about recycled materials? What about sustainably and responsibly sourced materials?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtab4994
We like Organic food, Sustainable Farming, Fair Trade, and so on. Most people willingly pay extra for foods labeled as such.
The other day I was thinking about manufactured goods and how they are produced. For example a widget made in China may be produced using coal-fired electricity. A comparable widget made in the U.S. may be produced using natural gas-fired, nuclear, or renewably-sourced electricity.
Is there a certification process or a proposal for such a certification, for manufactured goods made using "Carbon Neutral" or "Green Friendly" electricity?
Yes, but good luck actually finding any products that qualify. The goal of any manufacturer is profit, and that means less labor, and that means China. There is not enough demand for certified carbo neutral products to justify the cost. Most people are not willing to pay more for organic etc., in fact I just noticed last weekend at our supermarket that many organic products are now cheaper than regular, apparently to get them sold.
I think the concept has legs, but there are other initiatives that are easier to implement, more impactful, and more readily recognizable by the public such as using recycled materials, providing recycling/recapture at end of life, improved energy efficiency throughout the product life, etc.
When purchasing a new appliance, for example, I look at operating costs on my end and wouldn't be particularly concerned with paying a premium for something manufactured, for example, in Vancouver (which is hydro).
Yes, but good luck actually finding any products that qualify. The goal of any manufacturer is profit, and that means less labor, and that means China. There is not enough demand for certified carbo neutral products to justify the cost.
The supply side will always go for the cheapest. What I am proposing would come from the demand side and would probably involve putting pressure on politicians.
Quote:
Most people are not willing to pay more for organic etc., in fact I just noticed last weekend at our supermarket that many organic products are now cheaper than regular, apparently to get them sold.
OK, it was too optimistic of me to say "most" people would pay more. But a lot would and do.
Thanks for posting this. I didn't know a Carbon Neutral certification already existed.
The thing that specifically made me bring up this topic was that I saw the CEO's of two different American steel companies on separate occasions, tout their company's use of "green friendly" power sources (e.g. natural gas) compared to foreign competitors (e.g. coal). That was on a business channel and I wondered why that was the first I'd heard of it. So much of what goes into energy consumption occurs behind the scenes.
no way to prove it........Renewable energy credits are traded all the time, carbon offsets are bought and sold like water. Your carbon free manufacture could be hooked to a coal plant and they buy all the credits the need with the money they there are making off the carbon free label
no way to prove it........Renewable energy credits are traded all the time, carbon offsets are bought and sold like water. Your carbon free manufacture could be hooked to a coal plant and they buy all the credits the need with the money they there are making off the carbon free label
Strangely enough that was sort of the ideal for a "sin tax" idea of the process. Some Carbon continued was to be the source of funding.
At the end of the day, there is no free lunch, so the ideal was Carbon would pay the fees, and renewable could help cover the costs of install with the credit. Not saying that is ideal, and in practice, I do not really believe "the market" (free or manipulated) is the answer to everything.
Looks like in many cases, Silicon Solar PV has become so cheap it is a smart buy with or without any credits or rebates.
Strangely enough that was sort of the ideal for a "sin tax" idea of the process. Some Carbon continued was to be the source of funding.
At the end of the day, there is no free lunch, so the ideal was Carbon would pay the fees, and renewable could help cover the costs of install with the credit. Not saying that is ideal, and in practice, I do not really believe "the market" (free or manipulated) is the answer to everything.
Looks like in many cases, Silicon Solar PV has become so cheap it is a smart buy with or without any credits or rebates.
It will be like the So2 program. We bought allowances from one plant and proceeded to dump SO2 from another.....Just a shell game....
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