Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Increasing focus on its domestic Net Zero Strategy should not detract government from leading global...
Conclusion
Increasing focus on its domestic Net Zero Strategy should not detract government from leading global action to tackle climate change. Climate change is a global challenge which requires a global solution. Government aims to lead by example domestically to help drive action and ambition internationally. However, delays in publishing targets for reducing public sector emissions risk undermining its credibility nationally and internationally. There is also a risk that policies driving emissions reductions domestically increase emissions elsewhere, and the Department acknowledges that so-called ‘consumption emissions’ are harder to measure as it requires information on emissions generated by the manufacture and transport of imported goods. Although HM Treasury is considering the challenges of carbon ‘leakage’ for UK competitiveness, that is displacing emissions from one country to another, the Department recognises that international supply chain emissions, and product standards are areas where it needs to do more work. There are obvious limitations without solutions in obtaining accurate, quality data from many foreign jurisdictions. It is not easy to see how these limitations can be overcome. It plans to launch a call for evidence on demand-side low-carbon products to address issues on product standards and help consumers identify low-carbon products. Recommendation: The Department, together with Defra, should work to increase public awareness of consumption emissions (for example, the carbon footprints of products sold in the UK), so the impact of consumer decisions play a more central role in tackling climate change. Achieving Net Zero: Follow up 9 1 Reliance on future innovation and consumer behaviour
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Winter 2024 6.2 The Net Zero Strategy set out how the government plans to help empower people to make informed choices about the goods and products they buy and services they use by exploring how the government better labels these with their emission intensity and environmental impact. This includes: • Work with the Financial Conduct Authority to introduce a sustainable investment label • The use of product labelling to show the durability, repairability and recyclability of products, • Exploring the evidence base for environmental labelling within food production and disposal, • The government is taking action to ensure that products are more sustainable, both in relation to their energy efficiency during use and use of materials over their lifetime • The government is exploring updating and expanding 'Ecodesign' product regulation which sets minimum requirements to phase out the least energy and resource efficient products from the market. 6.3 In December 2021, the government published a Call for Evidence ‘Towards a market for low emissions industrial products’ to explore policy options to grow the market for lower emissions products, with a view to potential introduction as early as 2025. 6.4 In March 2022, the government established a cross-government Ecolabelling Group to enable a joined-up approach to ecolabelling. The group aims to ensure the public receive clear and easy, consistent and transparent messaging on a range of products and services, to maximise alignment and efficiencies, and to enable best use of ecolabelling within a broader set of policy measures.