Product Carbon Footprinting: Calculation and Communication Standards in the Making
A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is the entire life cycle (cradle-to-grave) accounting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for an individual good or service. It is propagated to effect changes in corporate policy and consumer choice toward less emission intensive production and consumption patterns. Though not yet a legislative reality, calculation and communication standards are in the making. This study attempts to compare the most prominent PCF efforts to date, analysing how each emerging standard addresses key PCF calculation features. It concludes that potential for methodology harmonisation exists, and that the time is ripe and the know-how available for such harmonisation to occur. PCF standard harmonisation can be an important contributor to achievement of the transition to a more sustainable production and consumption culture needed for effective climate change mitigation.
The threat of climate change and the need to mitigate its effects is giving rise to new ways in which this may be achieved. Studies 1 show that cleaner, greener raw material sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, consumer purchase and disposal or recycling practices may all lessen CO2 equivalent emissions. Product Carbon Footprinting (PCFing) is a means propagated to effect changes in consumer choice and corporate policy towards less emission intensive production and consumption of goods, by internalising the environmental externalities of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is the entire life cycle GHG accounting of an individual good from cradle to grave, that is: from raw material inputs through all stages of production, distribution, consumer use and disposal/recycling.