'Green' Branding May be Introduced Following Downing Street Meeting

Representatives from the Church of England joined some of Britain's biggest and best-known businesses Monday as they met with Tony Blair at Downing Street for a meeting regarding climate change issues.

Tesco, Marks and Spencer, B&Q and HSBC reps are among those who met Blair for the summit. Satellite TV giant BSkyB and the Starbucks coffee shop chain are also invited.

The meeting discussed topics on how consumers can be encouraged to take individual responsibility for going green. Details will not be revealed until next spring.

"This partnership sets out to accelerate the roll-out of practical, simple solutions to help individuals reduce their carbon emissions," the parties said.

A statement said: "Challenging targets will be set for the aggregated reduction in emissions that will be made through everyone's collective action."

Further details are being kept under wraps until a public campaign is launched in March 2007. However, there are suggestions that some kind of "green" branding could be introduced as well as moves by businesses to cut back on packaging and waste.

A recent poll found that nearly 80 per cent of people believed they could reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Only one in five of those surveyed opposed plans to financially penalise people for using "more than their fair share" of energy.

The meeting comes at a time when British business, particularly retailers, are under pressure from government and consumers to reduce their environmental impact, and they fear a backlash and fines if they fail to act.

Local Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw told supermarkets and food producers last month to do more to cut the volume of food waste and packaging or else face regulation that would force them to do so.