Carbon Footprint

The amount of CO2 emissions directly or indirectly caused by an activity or over the life cycle of a product. Other GHGs are included as CO2 equivalents (e.g., CH4, N2O, SF6).

1. Tool for assessing climate impact of:

   • Product supply/consumption

   • Individual services

   • Organizational/state services

2. Supports climate protection targets.

3. Part of life cycle assessment (LCA).

Framework for measuring and managing GHG emissions from private and public entities, setting a product life cycle standard for GHG reporting.

Three parts:

• Part 1: GHG inventory at company level.

• Part 2: GHG monitoring/reporting at project level.

• Part 3: Guidelines for GHG information validation and certification.

Provides guidelines for quantifying/reporting carbon footprints of products (CFP), aligned with LCA standards (ISO 14040, ISO 14044).

1. Phases:

   • Goal and scope definition

   • Life cycle inventory

   • Life cycle impact assessment

   • Life cycle interpretation

2. Life cycle stages (e.g., raw material acquisition, production, usage, end-of-life).

A quantified description of the performance of a product system for use as a reference (e.g., one cup of coffee with defined specifications).

To avoid complexity in data collection/reporting, ensuring consistency over time.

• Relevance, completeness, consistency, accuracy, transparency.

Direct emissions (by each GHG), removals, energy indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions.