Take Action Now Against the Climate Crisis and Choose Products with Carbon Footprint Calculation Certification

ASTOR MAYER works with companies to effectively measure, manage, and reduce the carbon footprint of their products. You can find out whether the product has its carbon footprint calculated by checking for certifications like:

• Annual certified reduction
• Certified carbon neutral
• Lower certified than other well-known products
• Some product labels may also indicate that an energy product is 100% renewable.

ISO 14067 is an important tool used to reduce CO2 emissions in relevant areas. Additionally, the standard can help raise awareness about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ISO 14067 means that a company can verify and certify the carbon footprint of its services and products using a model (developed according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044) that predicts the impact of GHG emissions and removals over product lifecycles.

CFP (Carbon Footprint of Products) allows organizations to:

• Identify the major emission sources for any process/product
• Identify areas for intervention in terms of emission reductions
• Increase visibility, thereby improving competitiveness
• Respond to customer demands

ISO 14067:2018 Carbon Footprint Calculation

ISO 14067:2018 is the reference standard for CFP, defining the principles, requirements, and guidelines to measure the carbon footprint of a product. The standard requires the production of a CFP study report based on the life cycle analysis (LCA) of a product, following the LCA methodologies in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

External communication related to carbon footprint calculation is regulated by ISO 14026 - Environmental labels and declarations - principles, requirements, and guidelines for conveying footprint information.

Both BS EN ISO 14067:2018 and PAS 2050:2011 account for land use changes. Land management-related carbon stock changes are somewhat more specific in BS EN ISO 14067:2018, meaning the calculation of biogenic content and the final footprint may vary depending on the product. However, common Product Category Rules (PCR) or the IPCC guidelines allow for comparable results.

GHGs can occur and be removed during the lifecycle of a product, which includes raw material acquisition, design, production, transport/delivery, use, and end-of-life treatment.

Measuring the carbon footprint of a product (CFP) helps increase understanding and action on GHG mitigation efforts and reductions in GHG emissions. This document outlines the principles, requirements, and guidelines for quantifying CFPs, including partial CFPs, based on GHG verification emissions and mitigation efforts. Requirements and guidelines are also provided for determining partial CFP amounts. Communication regarding CFP or partial CFP is covered under ISO 14026. The development of PCRs is within the scope of ISO/TS 14027.

In ISO 14067 validation, the life cycle assessment (LCA) follows the principles, requirements, and guidelines set out in the existing International Standards (ISO 14040, ISO 14044, ISO/TR 14049, and ISO TS 14071), and aims to define the specific requirements for the quantification of a full or partial CFP.

Benefits of Using LCA for Carbon Footprint Calculation:

• Prevents shifts in environmental loads from one phase of the product life cycle to another or between product life cycles.
• Ensures the necessary requirements for quantifying CFP.
• Facilitates tracking performance in reducing GHG emissions through CFP.
• Better understanding of the opportunities for GHG emission reductions and removals.
• Supports a sustainable low-carbon economy.
• Increases the reliability, consistency, and transparency of the quantification and reporting of CFP.
• Helps assess alternative product design and sourcing options, manufacturing methods, raw material selection, transportation, recycling, and other end-of-life processes.
• Facilitates the development and implementation of GHG management strategies and plans across product life cycles, while also identifying additional efficiencies within the supply chain.
• Ensures the preparation of reliable CFP information.

The organization should define the systematic approach for the CFP process, including the sequence and interactions of the activities involved, and establish procedures to ensure the effective operation, control, and monitoring of the CFP approach.

Management Responsibility: Top management should ensure that responsibilities and authorities related to the CFP systematic approach are defined and communicated within the organization. The organization must identify and provide the resources and competencies required to implement and maintain the CFP approach.

The organization must identify, provide, and maintain the infrastructure needed to comply with the CFP systematic approach requirements. This infrastructure includes, when applicable: a) Workspace and related supporting programs b) Process equipment (both hardware and software) c) Supporting services (i.e., information systems) d) LCA expertise

The systematic approach to CFP should be able to develop the carbon footprint for a single product in accordance with this document, the PCR, and any other requirements defined by the program operator.

The definition of the CFP systematic approach includes the following activity groups: a) Data and information collection b) Data and information management c) Verification of the CFP systematic approach d) Use the systematic approach to calculate the CFP for any product.

Climate Change and Product Carbon Footprint Calculation

"Carbon footprint calculation" refers to the process of evaluating the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by a particular activity or organization, and thus defines a way for organizations and individuals to assess their contribution to climate change. Understanding these emissions and their sources is essential to reducing them. In the past, companies focused on their own emissions, but now they are increasingly concerned with emissions across their entire supply chain.

Supply chain GHG emissions, which involve processes not directly controlled by the company, can be measured at either the company level or the product level. Both company-level and product-level supply chain emission assessments offer benefits; however, PAS 2050 and this guide focus specifically on product-level emissions.