Is carbon labelling the big future travel trend that will make your holiday more sustainable?

As more travel companies get serious about measuring their carbon footprints, the next step is providing holidaymakers with the information they need to pick the most sustainable trip. Helen Coffey investigates whether labels could truly help us make more responsible travel choices

Carbon labels could help us take greener holidays (Getty Images)

Carbon labelling isn’t new, but it is gaining a lot more traction of late – especially when it comes to travel.

The idea is simple; similar to how the nutrition “wheels” on food packaging are designed for easy comparison to help shoppers make healthier choices, carbon labels should be an easy way of comparing products or services to see which are most sustainable at a glance, by providing a comprehensive, numeric footprint.

Increasing numbers of businesses across a variety of sectors are getting onboard with the idea; in the last month alone, oat milk brand Oatly has called on the dairy industry to start carbon labelling products, while exercise tracking app Strava announced a new tool to calculate carbon savings from going for runs, walks, cycles and e-bike rides. Food and drink brands like meat-free alternative Quorn, plant-based energy drinks producer Tenzing and meal kit retailer Mindful Chef are all at the vanguard of introducing labels for their products.