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.