There's this belief that buying local is best. While I can see the arguments for buying local, ie supporting local farmers and the local economy, and less travel miles, it was only recently that I started to question this idea. You see I was at Aldi supermarket the other day where I was faced with the decision as to whether to buy a bottle of olive oil made in Australia or one made in Itay. Naturally I went for the Australian one. But looking at the carbon label and Aldi's website, if I am to choose an olive oil that is good for the environment and will reduce my carbon footprint, I have selected wrongly.
The ALDI everyday range of olive oil products has undergone a comprehensive assessment to determine the total carbon footprint, which encompasses all the life cycle stages, from raw materials and manufacturing right through to disposal or recycling of packaging.
Each olive oil product has been assessed and certified by the Carbon Trust as meeting all requirements of the Publicly Available Standard 2050 (PAS 2050). The PAS 2050 is a consultative document that specifies standard best practice for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services.
The ALDI everyday range of olive oil products has undergone a comprehensive assessment to determine the total carbon footprint, which encompasses all the life cycle stages, from raw materials and manufacturing right through to disposal or recycling of packaging.
Each olive oil product has been assessed and certified by the Carbon Trust as meeting all requirements of the Publicly Available Standard 2050 (PAS 2050). The PAS 2050 is a consultative document that specifies standard best practice for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services.
Judging from Aldi's carbon assessment chart, the olive oil from Italy has a lower overall carbon footprint of 300 as oppose to the one from Australia which has a footprint of 320
This then leads me to the question, have we been naive and too trusting to believe everything purchased "local" is best?
Buying local food does not guarantee that it is sustainably produced. Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, factory farming, hormone use, and non-therapeutic use of antibiotics can all be involved in local food production, so it's important to make sure that the local food that is bought is from farmers or gardeners using sustainable methods.
Buying local food does not guarantee that it is sustainably produced. Pesticides, chemical fertilizers, factory farming, hormone use, and non-therapeutic use of antibiotics can all be involved in local food production, so it's important to make sure that the local food that is bought is from farmers or gardeners using sustainable methods.
Thus it is important to know the true carbon footprint from the things we buy. Fortunately, Aldi has taken the lead by working with Planet Ark, to introduce the carbon reducation label.
Aldi maybe internationally owned, they do however strive to operate with a sustainable conscience and will always endeaviour to support local farmers who just need to offload their goods.
Aldi maybe internationally owned, they do however strive to operate with a sustainable conscience and will always endeaviour to support local farmers who just need to offload their goods.
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