Product Carbon Footprint Assessment

CFP – Carbon Footprint of Products

The great challenge of the coming decades will be to manage and reduce the effects of increasing climate change, mainly related to human activity. Climate change is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions over the whole life cycle of a product, from the production of raw materials, through product manufacture, distribution, transport and use, to the end of its life cycle (EoL), i.e. its disposal or recovery. The carbon footprint results help to understand the emission processes, contributions, and greenhouse gas mitigation options for the whole life cycle of the product. Standard used: ISO14067.

Aim of application

  • internal communication: identifying and implementing carbon reduction opportunities
  • external communication: communicating carbon results to B2B partners and customers
  • redefining the supply chain from an environmental perspective.

 

Software: GaBi Professional (Sphera) life cycle assessment software

Database: Internationally recognized, verified and accepted databases: Sphera Professional database; Ecoinvent 3.7 database with thousands of processes

Most commonly used impact analysis methods: ISO14067GWP – Climate Changes – fossil, biogenic GHG emissions, Biogenic GHG removal, Emissions for and use change (dLUC); CML2001 – Global Warming Potential; EF3.0 – Climate Changes, EN 15804 +A2.

 

GaBi software references

  • Manufacturing LCA: automatic protective device, food packaging product

Corporate Carbon Footprint Assessment

Carrying out a corporate carbon footprint calculation is the first step for the company’s response to climate change. The analysis provides an overview of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, identifies hot-spots within the company where the carbon footprint is dominant and makes recommendations on ways to reduce the impact on climate change.

BAY prepares the organisational (corporate) carbon footprint calculation based on the standards, guidelines and calculation tools issued by the internationally accepted Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and ISO14069 standard. These frameworks classify emissions from corporate activities into 3 Scope target categories, based on their reportable nature and the way they are emitted (direct or indirect). The uniqueness and reliability of BAY’s organisational (corporate) carbon footprint analysis is given by the emissions calculation and the modelling of carbon reduction options with life cycle assessment software GaBi Professional (i.e.: energy reduction scenarios, emissions saved by installing a photovoltaic system, etc.), in parallel with the calculation based on the GHG Protocol methodology. BAY carries out the assessment with professional software with its up-to-date databases, in accordance with the relevant ISO standard. Companies can formulate annual commitments from the proposed organisational carbon footprint reduction options, which can be verified through annual reviews.

Benefits of an organisational (corporate) carbon footprint calculation:

  • Determine greenhouse gas emissions from corporate activities, identify hot-spots (activities, sites, equipment (emission sources)), formulate carbon reduction proposals,
  • Establish carbon offset practices,
  • Corporate cost savings, where carbon reduction can lead to a reduction in corporate expenditure,
  • Increasing the quality of environmental and sustainability reporting as an integral part of the report,
  • Supporting marketing activities,
  • Quantifying long-term environmental strategy.

 

References:

  • Determination of annual organisational carbon footprint values and quantification of reduction opportunities for property management and service companies.

Contact

Renáta SÁNDOR, LCA Research Group Leader
Mobile: + 36-70 / 513-9583
E-mail: renata.sandor@bayzoltan.hu