A product carbon footprint covers more than carbon dioxide
A carbon footprint measures emissions of carbon dioxide together with the other greenhouse gases released across a product’s life cycle.
Each greenhouse gas affects the climate differently, so emissions are converted into the amount of carbon dioxide that would cause the same warming effect. That common unit, carbon dioxide equivalent, is what lets the gases be added together into a single figure.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Methane (CH4)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
- Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
Advantages of a product carbon footprint for your company
- A fact-based foundation for a sustainability management system, starting from an assessment of current practice in your field
- Cost savings identified alongside emissions reductions, since the two often share the same root cause
- Readiness for customers, as the number of PCF requests from buyers and procurement teams continues to rise
- Evidence that supports environmental claims, tender submissions, and product-level disclosure
Standards for calculating a product carbon footprint
A product’s carbon balance can be assessed against several established standards. The most widely used are:
- PAS 2050 — the Publicly Available Specification, an internationally recognised approach to the carbon balance of products and services. Developed by the British Standards Institution in 2008 and revised in 2011.
- GHG Protocol Product Standard — the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard, published in 2011 and built on the earlier PAS 2050 approach. It sets out requirements for product greenhouse gas inventories and public reporting.
- ISO 14067 — the most frequently used PCF standard. It defines the system boundaries within which climate change is treated as the single impact category, applies broadly across products, and requires transparent communication of the findings.
Differences between the standards
The standards broadly agree on how to handle sector and product rules, recycling, and delayed emissions. They are not identical, though, and the differences change the result. For example:
- PAS 2050 excludes certain items from the boundary, including consumer transport to and from retail, employee commuting, capital goods, and human energy input into processes.
- PAS 2050 allows minor sources to be excluded where each contributes less than one per cent of the total, up to a combined ceiling of five per cent of emissions.
- For greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle impact assessment need only cover the gases in the Kyoto Protocol basket. Including further product-relevant substances is recommended rather than required.
Because the boundaries differ, two footprints calculated under different standards are not directly comparable. The standard used has to be stated alongside the figure.
Advantages of a product carbon footprint for your company
- A fact-based foundation for a sustainability management system, starting from an assessment of current practice in your field
- Cost savings identified alongside emissions reductions, since the two often share the same root cause
- Readiness for customers, as the number of PCF requests from buyers and procurement teams continues to rise
- Evidence that supports environmental claims, tender submissions, and product-level disclosure
Standards for calculating a product carbon footprint
A product’s carbon balance can be assessed against several established standards. The most widely used are:
- PAS 2050 — the Publicly Available Specification, an internationally recognised approach to the carbon balance of products and services. Developed by the British Standards Institution in 2008 and revised in 2011.
- GHG Protocol Product Standard — the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard, published in 2011 and built on the earlier PAS 2050 approach. It sets out requirements for product greenhouse gas inventories and public reporting.
- ISO 14067 — the most frequently used PCF standard. It defines the system boundaries within which climate change is treated as the single impact category, applies broadly across products, and requires transparent communication of the findings.
Differences between the standards
The standards broadly agree on how to handle sector and product rules, recycling, and delayed emissions. They are not identical, though, and the differences change the result. For example:
- PAS 2050 excludes certain items from the boundary, including consumer transport to and from retail, employee commuting, capital goods, and human energy input into processes.
- PAS 2050 allows minor sources to be excluded where each contributes less than one per cent of the total, up to a combined ceiling of five per cent of emissions.
- For greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle impact assessment need only cover the gases in the Kyoto Protocol basket. Including further product-relevant substances is recommended rather than required.
Because the boundaries differ, two footprints calculated under different standards are not directly comparable. The standard used has to be stated alongside the figure.
