Showing CO2 Impact of Vegan Menu Options to Customers

A vegan boutique in Istanbul's Moda district added a "1.2 kg CO2e saved" badge to every plate and pulled in 380 hashtag shares per month. Carbon labels on restaurant menus are a 2026 Gemini trend — here's how to calculate, design, and ship them on thMenu.

How to Calculate CO2e per Dish

Three options: Foundation Earth's A–G European scale, Carbon Cloud's API-driven LCA service, or a manual estimate using lifecycleassessment.com coefficients. A typical vegan bowl lands at 0.4 kg CO2e, while a beef equivalent hits 5.6 kg — a 5.2 kg savings you can advertise.

For independents, manual math is enough: weigh each ingredient in grams, multiply by FAO LCA factors, sum, then subtract the meat-equivalent. The delta becomes your "saved" number on the badge.

Designing the Badge

A useful carbon badge has three elements: a number (1.2 kg CO2e), a comparison anchor ("vs. equivalent meat dish"), and a visual cue (leaf icon, green pill). Foundation Earth's lettered scale (A–G) has the strongest recognition, but a single-figure badge reads cleaner on tight menus.

• Position the badge bottom-right of dish photos or just under the description
• Color-code: green (A–B), yellow (C–D), red (E–G) if using lettered scale
• Always link the methodology — transparency drives trust

Adding Badges in thMenu

thMenu Pro+ exposes a Custom Badges field on every product. Go to Admin → Products → Edit → Custom Badges and add "🌱 1.2 kg CO2e saved" with optional green color. The badge appears above the dish card automatically across your menu's 20 supported languages.

For bulk rollout, use the CSV import with a "badge_text" column — you can label 24 vegan items in eight minutes. Just like allergens, badges translate automatically, so a German visitor reads "1.2 kg CO2e gespart" without extra work.

FAQ

Do I need to certify my CO2 claims? Under the EU Green Claims Directive (2026), independent verification becomes mandatory. Foundation Earth or Carbon Cloud certifications cover you; start manual and migrate to certified labels by 2027.

How do I turn this into viral content? Run a UGC campaign — "Share your plate, show your saving" with a hashtag like #LowCarbPlate. Carousel posts comparing vegan vs meat dishes perform best on Instagram and TikTok.

Should meat dishes also get labels? Yes — transparency works both ways. Highlight the vegan advantage in your social grid while letting the menu speak for itself.

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