Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
We previously reported in 2021 that it was critical that actions to reduce the UK’s...
Conclusion
We previously reported in 2021 that it was critical that actions to reduce the UK’s emissions did not result in moving emissions abroad, so-called ‘carbon leakage’, which would undermine global efforts to tackle climate change. At that time, government did not have a clear way of determining whether its actions to reduce emissions in the UK transferred emissions to other countries, and HM Treasury told us that it was considering the feasibility of a tax based on carbon embedded in imports (a carbon border adjustment tax) to reduce the risk of pushing emissions abroad.81
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.