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Dead Polar Bear Scale – The latest in eco-labeling.

April 10th, 2009 · 2 Comments

In an effort to stay at the forefront of environmental product communication, Unicycle Creative is proud to launch a new worldwide standard for eco-labeling, the Dead Polar Bear Scale (DPB)
“It’s a way for consumers to really know what they’re buying into from a climate perspective,” Says Unicycle President Lorne Craig, “We’re all killing polar bears of course… now we can use that knowledge to help adjust our buying behaviour.”
The Dead Polar Bear ScaleThe DPB rating was developed using some of the latest intelligence on eco-labeling. A recent U.K. survey suggested that labeling information presented as plain text was much more difficult for consumers to  understand. More than half (56%) correctly identified the efficiency of a fictional new car called “Marko” when the data was shown in a colour-coded chart, compared with less than 31% when the information was presented in plain text.
As of January 2009, California and Vermont both made it mandatory that new cars sold there be labeled for climate impact. Both states use a black-and-white environmental performance label.
In the U.K., the British motor industry introduced a colour-coded label, in use at an estimated 93% of U.K. car dealerships.
“We use colours too,” Says Craig “The Five DPB rating is blood red, while the One DPB is rendered in classic eco green.”

Regulatory agencies or vendors interested in licensing the DPB Climate Labeling Scale can contact Lorne Craig via email.

Thanks to Sustainable Life Media for the original story thread.

Prius-dead-polar-bear-scale

Tags: Environment · Green in Europe · Green Points of View · Research · Sustainable Lifestyle · Sustainable Products · Unicycle Case Studies

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 alli // Apr 24, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    This is a clever idea, though I think the 1 polar bear/green rating should have the bear right-side-up; meaning that he’s alive still. It seems a bit counterproductive to have a dead polar bear staring back at a consumer who is dropping a good chunk of change on a car in an attempt to be more environmentally conscious. Doncha think?

  • 2 admin // Apr 24, 2009 at 10:46 pm

    My theory was that as a hybrid still emits CO2 (even though it’s an improvement) it’s still making an impact. Now a bicycle might get the Live Polar Bear rating….

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