Executive Summary #1
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) ! ! PCF World Forum Executive Summaries provide quick references to concepts, initiatives and resources at the nexus of products, value chains and climate change. Contents: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What is a product carbon footprint? How is a product carbon footprint calculated? What are product carbon footprints used for? What methods/ standards define how a PCF is quantified and reported? Examples of national and international product carbon footprint initiatives About the PCF World Forum
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1 What is a product carbon footprint? “A Product Carbon Footprint describes the sum of greenhouse gas emissions accumulated during the full life cycle of a product in a specified application� (PCF Pilot Project Germany, 2009) The product carbon footprint is therefore a measure of the absolute climate impact of a product and its use. Life cycle in this context denotes the temporal lifetime of a product and all value chain stages for making and disposing of it. Synonyms used for product carbon footprint are: life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions/inventory, carbon footprint of products (CFP), global warming potential (GWP).
2 How is a product carbon footprint calculated? ! A product carbon footprint is calculated by summing up the climate impact of all human induced greenhouse gases (i.e. that contribute to global warming/ climate change) that are emitted as a consequence of a product (and its energy/ material use) over its life cycle and in a certain use. ! These gases are foremost CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane), SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride), N2O (nitrous oxide), NF3 (nitrogen triflouride), PFCs (perfluorocarbons), HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). ! Greenhouse gas emissions result predominantly from combustion (mostly fossil fuels), deforestation/ land-use change, anaerobic fermentation and use of certain chemicals: Product Life Cycle Energy Land use change Further emissions
husbandry, agromachines, fertilizer production livestock feed (cultivation) cow digestion (methane)
centrifugation, process steam
refrigeration and warming (at home)
waste and waste water treatment
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refrigeration, packaging, transports: milk & consumer trips packaging
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cooling agents
cooling agents
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Selected GHG emission sources for milk product
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Executive Summary #1
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) ! !
3 What are product carbon footprints used for? ! A product carbon footprint establishes the link between climate change and individual goods and services, their manufacture and consumption. ! It provides a basis for companies to develop sound GHG reduction strategies and manage product/ process development and implementation in an explicable manner – both internally as well as with supply chain partners and customers. ! Possible specific applications are: Low carbon product design, material composition of a product, benchmarking, risk management (e.g. regulatory and resource related), stakeholder reporting, storytelling, supply chain and consumer communication. ! Each well documented carbon footprint contributes to the common understanding of relevant emissions sources and mitigation options and more widely available data for more refined studies.
4 What methods/ standards define how a PCF is quantified and reported?
! All relevant product carbon footprint standards take a full life cycle approach and build on established life cycle assessment (LCA) practices (ISO 14040/44). ! The most widely adopted international standard is the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard, published in October 2011. ! A similar standard is currently developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14067). ! The Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050, developed by BSI in the UK is – due to its long availability – also used in many countries. ! Further methodologies for the comprehensive environmental impact assessment of products include the product carbon footprint as one parameter. (see Executive Summary “Environmental Footprint”)
5 Examples of national and international product carbon footprint initiatives Carbon footprints of several thousand products have been assessed in various frameworks. Some examples are: (introduction to further initiatives in PCF World Forum Topic Briefing “Initiatives Overview”) ! A Government supported pilot project has been executed in Japan and is now evolving into the “CFP Communication Program”. ! The PCF Pilot Project Germany, a cross stakeholder and cross sector initiative, has developed thoroughly documented case studies and recommendations for international standard development and communication. ! The UK based Carbon Trust had developed the first carbon labeling scheme and is certifying products from a range of companies. Tesco, one of the pioneer users of the carbon reduction label continues to implement its own carbon footprint system. ! French retailer Casino had developed a “carbon index” for its products before developing the more comprehensive “environmental index” as part of the French environmental labeling experiment. ! In the French experiment on environmental footprint labeling (currently ongoing with more than 100 companies) the carbon footprint of products must always be reported as one indicator. 6 About the PCF World Forum The PCF World Forum is a neutral platform for companies and their stakeholders to reflect and act on challenges, practical experiences, initiatives, tools and insights towards climate-conscious value chains. Internet
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