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.

1. Carbon Footprinting for Product
Manufacturing and Suppliers
Dr Craig Jones
@EcoCraigJones

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

4. Context:
Sustainable Development
Carbon Footprinting

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

6. Sustainability – The 3 Pillars

7. Why Carbon?
Provenance

8. Escalating Global CO2 Emissions

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

10. Benefits of Product Carbon Footprinting
Carbon Footprinting

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

14. Survey of Carbon Footprint Users
Drivers

15. Survey of Carbon Footprint Users
Benefits

16. Reporting The Carbon Footprint of Your
Products
Carbon Footprinting

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

21. Product Carbon Footprint Labels
• Carbon Trust’s Carbon Footprint Label
• PAS 2050 or GHG Protocol assessment
• Mainly consumer products

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

25. Closing Thoughts
Carbon Footprinting

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