Just when you thought every marketing ploy possible had been used to lure Japanese consumers, Sapporo Breweries is leading the way with a new one — carbon footprint information. Cans of Sapporo's Black Label beer will provide information on the amount of CO2 emitted in producing each can. Many people may be surprised to learn how much of a footprint that even a drink or two after work leaves.

The fine print on the new cans will deliver the news that each 350-ml can releases 161 grams of carbon dioxide in the total production process. Fertilizers, grain output, transportation, refrigeration and recycling are all included. That may not seem much compared to the 2.3 kilograms released by the burning of one liter of petrol, but as any drinker knows, those cans can add up. Whether learning that will help the environment, though, remains to be seen.

Beer is not the only product on which carbon footprints will start to be noted in Japan. Already the new offerings of Blu-ray DVD players have started to compete in the low-carbon output arena, along with habitual concerns of price and performance. Retail giants Aeon and Seven & I Holdings have joined Sapporo Beer in stating they will start including environmental labels on their products sometime this year or next. More companies will surely follow. Though these companies are clearly positioning themselves as environmentally friendly to improve sales, they are also providing information that consumers need to know.

The information provided by many companies is based on the research of the Britain-based Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by the government to research carbon emissions in order to develop low-carbon technologies.

In beer-and-ale-loving Britain, for example, some breweries have already been giving consumers details on carbon dioxide. It may be a while before the answer to the eternal British question "Fancy a pint?" becomes "No, thank you, I've already released several hundred grams of carbon dioxide today." But the idea is starting to take hold.

In Europe and the United States, too, printing facts on carbon dioxide has become part of the basic information that consumers are now given about products. Not only with automobiles, but also with computers, consumer appliances and consumable goods of all kinds, companies are beginning to calculate the carbon footprint for their products as part of their marketing strategy. Apparently, eco-mindedness sells well. Otherwise, many companies would avoid divulging their carbon secrets.

Having more information, though, may or may not change behavior, especially in Japan where consumer fads take off with tremendous speed and disappear just as quickly. If a consumer knows that a bag of potato chips emits 75 grams of carbon dioxide, he or she may or may not buy fewer bags.

If companies are genuinely serious about reducing their carbon footprint, they will need to be pushed by the government and prodded by consumers. In Japan, where fingerprints at ports of entry have been more of a recent government concern than carbon footprints, basic eco-information on products is sorely lacking. However, trade ministry officials this year announced they would like to see more carbon-related labeling of products.

Just as all products are now required to print the ingredients contained in their products, carbon information should also be included. Just as knowing how much salt, wheat, sugar, nuts or other ingredients is essential for consumers — especially those with allergies or health concerns — knowing how much carbon is released is necessary to understand larger issues of global health. Eventually, carbon footprint information will be considered a routine part of consumption, too.

These steps toward more open product information should be welcomed, even if they still fall well within the confines of marketing concerns. The barrage of terms will continue to arrive in Japan; imported phrases like "eco-aware," "low carbon," "small footprint" and so on are really just nice-sounding terms for "slightly less pollution." Regardless of how it is marketed, consumerism takes a tremendous toll on the environment, and always will. A daily reminder of that toll may help consumers to make connections between their behavior and the larger environmental situation.

If companies want to start labeling carbon information on their own, they should be encouraged. However, additional requirements from the government would help standardize the labeling and publicize its importance.

Consumers who actually do want to lower their own footprint, or at least know what it is, need information that only companies can provide. Having the carbon footprint information in hand, literally with a can of beer, can help change the understanding of what people buy and what happens to the environment when they consume products. That will be more than just a conversation topic over beer, but an actual change in mind-set.