Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
Why a Product Carbon Footprint?
To effectively focus on reducing emissions, you first need to know exactly where your impact lies. While a general CO₂ footprint provides an overview at the organizational level, a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) zooms in on a single product across its entire life cycle.
A PCF maps out the product’s entire life cycle, and we calculate the CO2 emissions at each stage. You can see exactly which materials, processes, or stages have the greatest impact. This allows you to identify emission hotspots and see where the greatest opportunities for reduction lie. This gives you a solid foundation for setting priorities and selecting effective measures.
In addition, a PCF helps you substantiate sustainability claims to customers and stakeholders. Such substantiation is also becoming increasingly important at the legislative level, for example, due to the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive. With a PCF, you gain greater insight into your products and can substantiate your sustainability claims.
Here’s how we do it — your own action plan in three steps
1. Product and system definition
First, we’ll discuss the purpose of the PCF: Do you want to assess the impact of a reduction measure, compare products, or provide evidence to support your communications? Using these frameworks, we’ll map out the product’s life cycle — from material extraction to the end of its useful life. We compile this information into a process map that we develop in collaboration with experts to identify the data requirements. This ensures that everything is clearly mapped out so that we know exactly what data we need for the calculation.
2. Data collection and calculation
Based on the process map, we then get to work and collect the necessary data. We ensure the quality of the data to work toward an accurate final result. After the results have been calculated, we prepare an inventory report that clearly shows the emissions for each life cycle phase. In addition, we develop a reporting guide so that you can follow all the insights, get started with the PCF on your own, and have the proper documentation to support your claims.
3. Results and consequences
We present the results to the project team and discuss the emission hotspots. Together, we explore the reduction potential of various measures and outline initial, feasible steps toward emission reduction. Where appropriate, we plan follow-up steps such as a progress report, a reduction strategy, or another round of calculations. This ensures that the results are immediately translated into action!
Frequently asked questions
A product life cycle consists of all the steps required to manufacture, use, and process a product after use. In a linear supply chain, this begins with raw material extraction and ends with waste disposal. In a circular supply chain, however, that final step becomes the start of a new life cycle. In general, the cycle consists of raw material extraction and pre-processing, production, distribution and storage, use, and end-of-life processing. These steps are tailored to the context of the product and the supply chain.
Cradle-to-grave is one way to view a product’s life cycle. The life cycle describes all the stages a product goes through, from raw materials to end of use. “Cradle-to-grave” then describes how far you look within that life cycle: specifically, from the “cradle” (material extraction) to the “grave” (waste phase). Other variants include, for example, cradle-to-gate, which covers the period from material extraction until the product leaves the company (the “gate”), or cradle-to-cradle, where the product is reused in a circular manner.
An LCA covers the full range of impacts, including impact categories such as climate change, water use, and toxicity, while a PCF focuses specifically on CO2 emissions. This makes a Product Carbon Footprint a subset of a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). As a result, an LCA is much more comprehensive than a PCF, while a PCF often provides sufficient insight to make informed decisions.
To calculate a PCF, we use and follow the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard from the GHG Protocol, the organization that establishes standards and guidelines for calculating greenhouse gas emissions.
Getting started with your own team
We strongly believe in teamwork. We tailor our long-term strategic programs to meet the specific needs of your company or organization. We’re a dedicated team of three to six experts — diverse and resilient. They work together to guide your organization from development through implementation. This way, we ensure quality and guarantee the continuity of your sustainability initiatives. Ready to make an impact together?
A selection of our experts
Meet two of our experts who — along with a strong team of fellow experts — contribute to our clients’ long-term success.
Maarten Andriessen
