Counting Carbon in the Marketplace – and at the Border

Carbon labeling of products, or labeling using 'Product Carbon Footprints' (PCFs) is currently a limited phenomenon. But France plans to make it mandatory and it may become more common in other larger EU countries. While the technical challenges are considerable, the number of standards and labeling initiatives is expanding. Currently the main obstacle to wider use of PCFs is the cost of their calculation. Although these will fall, this may take a considerable time.

Developing countries need to prepare for the challenges that PCFs pose. These include costs, as well as the availability of data relevant to Southern production processes and the implicit bias of some Northern PCF standards against labour-intensive manufacturing. Concerned Northern governments and donor agencies can both make contributions to alleviating each of these problems.