By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Customers at Home plus, one of the nation's largest retailers, will be able to find out how much carbon was emitted to make the company's own brand products from next month, the Ministry of Environment said Thursday.
The ministry and the retailer signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the outlet to halve carbon emissions to 2006 levels by 2020. The amount of carbon emitted for production is indicated on store shelves and the ministry will certify the low carbon items to encourage sales _ the first items to be labeled will be cartons of milk. As an incentive to the retailer, the ministry has given it priority in supplying office supplies to government complexes and other public organizations.
Several other retailers are also ready to adopt the system. E-Mart, the nation's largest discount store chain, said it is determining carbon emissions of all its own brand products. Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee said he expects more companies to take similar action.