How to calculate a Product Carbon Footprint?

Standards for calculating your Product Carbon Footprint

All PCF calculations rely on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, outlined in ISO 14040/14044.  There are two main approaches:

• Partial LCA (PCF-focused): This method focuses on calculating the product’s carbon footprint. While less comprehensive than a full LCA, a PCF-focused approach is a good starting point for businesses seeking to understand their climate impact and make initial reductions.
• Full LCA: This comprehensive approach analyzes all environmental impacts of a product, with PCF being one category. A full LCA provides a holistic view of a product’s environmental footprint, allowing to identify areas for improvement beyond just carbon emissions.

A range of product carbon footprint standards

Several methodologies were developed at different points in time and by different organizations, like the ISO 14067 standard that can be considered the international reference standard for conducting PCF, or GHG Protocol Product Standard that also provides additional standards for corporate assessments and project-related calculations. But also, methodologies that have a broader scope, covering environmental issues beyond climate change, like the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). This EU-recommended method to perform LCA studies requires 16 impact categories to be calculated, buts also the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides a universal framework for LCA via ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

A Step-by-Step Roadmap for LCA

• Step 1: Goal Definition and Scope Determination

Initial phase involves setting clear objectives for the LCA and mapping out the data collection strategy.

• Step 2: Comprehensive Inventory Analysis

This crucial step involves cataloging all environmental inputs and outputs related to the product. It provides a detailed account of the product’s interaction with the environment.

• Step 3: Impact Assessment

Here, the collected data is transformed into tangible environmental impacts.

• Step 4: Insightful Interpretation

The final step is about making sense of the data collected and assessed in the previous steps.