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Faizan
Calculating the carbon footprint of a product allows the company to measure, monitor and manage the energy and water usage throughout the value chain, set reasonable but challenging targets for emissions reduction, engage more strategically with stakeholders and reduce costs.
An academic study by Bolwig and Gibbon found that globally in 2009 there were 16 operational product footprint schemes. The authors comment that the expansion of private schemes can cause confusion and therefore reduce credibility in the minds of consumers and additionally can create barriers to entry for products certified under other schemes.
PAS 2050
PAS 2050 was jointly developed by the Carbon Trust and DEFRA and published by the British Standards Institution in 2008. PAS 2050 builds on the life-cycle approach and functional unit methodology of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.
PAS 2050 was the first public standard with a high degree of transparency and credibility having a detailed calculation methodology available in the public domain. The PAS 2050 methodology does however exclude capital goods, e.g. farm machinery, giving rise to criticisms of an inherent bias against labour intensive processes - often the situation in which fruit and vegetables are produced and processed in developing countries.
A product footprint calculation usually starts with change of land use or the production of the raw materials and ends when the product is re-used, recycled or disposed.
A study by Plassmann showed that land use change emissions can dominate PAS 2050 footprints, resulting in very high carbon footprints for products originating in some developing countries, where a higher proportion of natural vegetation is still being converted for agricultural use. The authors found that other significant impacts on product footprints were electricity emission factors, capital inputs and loss of soil carbon.
Calculating a Product Carbon Footprint
There are five steps in calculating a Product Carbon Footprint:
An academic study by Bolwig and Gibbon found that globally in 2009 there were 16 operational product footprint schemes. The authors comment that the expansion of private schemes can cause confusion and therefore reduce credibility in the minds of consumers and additionally can create barriers to entry for products certified under other schemes.
PAS 2050
PAS 2050 was jointly developed by the Carbon Trust and DEFRA and published by the British Standards Institution in 2008. PAS 2050 builds on the life-cycle approach and functional unit methodology of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.
PAS 2050 was the first public standard with a high degree of transparency and credibility having a detailed calculation methodology available in the public domain. The PAS 2050 methodology does however exclude capital goods, e.g. farm machinery, giving rise to criticisms of an inherent bias against labour intensive processes - often the situation in which fruit and vegetables are produced and processed in developing countries.
A product footprint calculation usually starts with change of land use or the production of the raw materials and ends when the product is re-used, recycled or disposed.
A study by Plassmann showed that land use change emissions can dominate PAS 2050 footprints, resulting in very high carbon footprints for products originating in some developing countries, where a higher proportion of natural vegetation is still being converted for agricultural use. The authors found that other significant impacts on product footprints were electricity emission factors, capital inputs and loss of soil carbon.
Calculating a Product Carbon Footprint
There are five steps in calculating a Product Carbon Footprint:
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