An introduction to carbon footprinting of products. Including what is a carbon footprint, introduction to the main carbon footprint standards, carbon labels and the value of carbon footprinting.
2. Contents
• About Circular Ecology
• Context
• Benefits of product carbon footprinting
• Why do people carbon footprint?
• Carbon footprint reporting
• Summary
3. Introducing Circular Ecology
• Set up in 2013 to offer the following services:
• Product carbon footprinting
• Embodied carbon assessment
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
• Water footprinting
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Research
• Peer review
• Training
• Visit www.circularecology.com
5. Sustainable Development
There are over 200 definitions of sustainability –
Sara Parkins, 2000
“Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”
Brundtland Report, 1987
9. Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
• But we are always talking about taking action
on climate change and CO2 emissions….
• Global CO2e emissions have risen 50% from
1990
• Carbon footprinting is a tool that can help us
to manage our carbon emissions
11. Benefits of Carbon Footprinting
• Prospect to win new sales
• Companies are also losing sales by not having
environmental data for their products
• i.e. cant go for tenders without this data
• Satisfy client requests for data
• Which assists the clients carbon targets / CSR
• Enhanced green image / brand
• Green case studies, marketing claims, greener
brand
12. Benefits of Carbon Footprinting
• Competitive advantage
• Are you competitors doing this?
• Is your product better than your
competitors?
• Get ahead of the game
• Have you fallen behind your competitors or
the market?
13. Benefits of Carbon Footprinting
• Reduce operational costs
• Increasing case studies of companies saving
money through their carbon footprint
programs
• Legislation & policy (only in some markets)
• Increasing investor pressures
• More investors expect companies to be
taking action on sustainability and climate
change
17. Reporting Carbon Footprints
• There are 2 main types of carbon footprints:
• Streamlined footprints
• Detailed footprints
• Streamlined footprints are suitable for:
• Scoping exercises
• Hotspot assessments
• They are not suitable for wide reporting
• Need a more robust study = detailed carbon
footprint
18. Detailed Carbon Footprints
• A detailed carbon footprint can be used:
• To report to the public or clients
• In marketing campaigns
• To make public environmental claims
• In CSR reports
• Must be calculated in accordance with
international standards
• Can also be peer reviewed / verified
19. Product Carbon Footprint
Standards
• PAS 2050: 2011 – “Specification for the
assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas
emissions of goods and services”
• From British Standards Institute
• GHG Protocol for Products: 2011
• From the World Resource Institute and
World Business Council for Sustainable
Development
• The above 2 standards are very similar
20. Product Carbon Footprint
Standards
• ISO 14067:2014 – “Greenhouse gases -- Carbon
footprint of products -- Requirements and guidelines
for quantification and communication”
• The only international ISO standard on product
carbon footprinting
• PAS 2060 – carbon neutrality
• EN 15804: 2012 – Environmental Product Declarations
• This one is for construction products only
• All the other standards previously mentioned are
not sector specific – broad remits
22. Product Carbon Footprint Labels
• Carbon neutral labels
• e.g. from carbon neutral company
• Requires measurement and then offsetting of
the amount of carbon
23. EPDs – EN 15804
• For building products
Environmental Product
Declarations (EPDs) are an
appropriate reporting
mechanism
• Manufacturer specific
• More than just carbon –
full Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA)
24. Reporting
• Reporting carbon footprint results requires a
detailed study
• Must be robust
• There are many ways of reporting the carbon
footprint of your products
• It can be confusing to know which option to
take
• Feel free to get in touch if you need
independent advice on the options
26. Summary
• 2 main types of carbon footprints
• Streamlined
• Details
• Lots of carbon footprint standards
• Options for reporting
• Verified against standards
• Carbon footprint labels
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
27. Carbon Footprinting
• This webinar was video recorded:
www.circularecology.com/product-carbon-
footprinting-for-manufacturers-and-
suppliers.html
• Upcoming online training courses:
• Essential carbon footprinting
• Embodied energy and carbon training
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• www.circularecology.com/training.html
28. Closing Thought -
A Rhetorical Question…
Which of these is the more sustainable way of
transporting people and goods?
29. Please feel free to get in touch
Craig.Jones@CircularEcology.com
@EcoCraigJones
Carbon Footprinting