General questions

 

What it the carbon footprint (CF)?

It is an indicator that shows the net, emitted and retained, GHG emissions of products/services, expressed as CO₂e. The CF can be a total or a partial CF.

 

How to assess the carbon footprint indicator?

In the case of products/services, the assessment of the CO₂emission is based on the life cycle assessment (LCA).In the case of companies, the procedure is based on the assessment of the input sources (material, energy, others) and the output (CO₂emission). There are different assessment standards available. 

 

Who can assess the carbon footprint?

The carbon footprint can be assessed in-house, using skilled staff, or by a third party. To ensure the neutrality of the, it is recommended that it be performed by a third party.

 

What kind of software is available for assessing the carbon footprint?

Several different software packages are available, such as SimaPro, Carbonostics, and GaBI. These software packages have several versions. Using such software does not replace the LCA assessment.

 

Is the measurement of the carbon footprint compulsory?

No. But a lot of companies, mainly multinational companies, are interested in assessing their CF. Examples can also be found in the Government sector. For companies, one of the reasons is that they can use it as a marketing tool, on the labels of their products. They are also interested in communicating their CF through their CSR reports.

 

Is it possible to use carbon footprint labels?

Yes. Yet, there are no accepted rules on product labelling. Each country/company performs the labelling in its own way. In the private sector, several companies from different countries (United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan) have already introduced CF labels.

 

Is it necessary to use carbon footprint labels on products/services?

No. But, if the CF is calculated during the LCA process, it is a good opportunity to communicate it to partners/consumers. One of the goals of the assessment is to label the product and in this way to differentiate it from other similar products. By using carbon labels, companies have a new marketing tool in their hands.

 

Does the labelling differ between countries?

Different countries use different labels for CF. The shapes and the content vary. The shape usually suggests a human footprint or other shapes (e.g. a leaf). The label contains one or two figures indicating the CF expressed as CO₂e. Where there are two figures, the second figure (usually the lower figure) indicates the reduction commitment, e.g. in the United Kingdom.

 

How are the different footprints, i.e. the carbon footprint (CF), the water footprint (WF)  and the ecological footprint (EF), interrelated?

All these three footprints have as their main goal the protection of the environment. The CF deals with air pollution and energy savings, the WF with the efficient use of water resources, and the EF with the impact of human activities on available resources (soil, water, biodiversity) For complex environmental studies, it is recommended to calculate all three indicators (the footprint family). For each footprint, different standards are available. The most commonly used are the CF standards.

 

What standards are available when assessing the carbon footprint?

The CF assessment can be applied at the level of the products/services, the organisation, the company, the local government or the entire country. At each level, a different standard is used. For products/services, it is recommended to use the GHG Protocol Product Accounting & Reporting Standard, the GHG ProtocolCorporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard and PAS 2050:2008. The ISO 14067 standards (in preparation) extend the range of options for assessing products. For companies and country level assessments, the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and Scope 1 and Scope 2 can be used.

 

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol is an international convention accepted by 37 countries, aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The Protocol introduced the carbon credits. The countries that have accepted the Protocol intend to reduce their GHG emissions between 2008 and 2012 by 5% below the levels of 1990. The Protocol is valid until 2012.

 

What is the carbon offset?

The carbon offset is a financial instrument that enables companies and countries to reduce their carbon emissions, or example by using renewable energy resources.

 

What is the carbon credit?

A carbon credit is one unit of carbon offset, equivalent with one tone of CO₂e. Carbon credits can be traded, like on a stock exchange, and can be a means of putting a price on carbon emissions.

 

What is the Gold Standard?

The Gold Standard is a carbon credit labelling scheme developed by the Gold Standard Foundation, a non-profit organisation from Switzerland. The organisation registers the products that contribute to reducing GHG emissions.

 

What is the link between the carbon footprint and sustainable production and consumption?

Environmental protection is part of sustainable production and consumption, and this also includes the reduction of GHG emissions. By assessing the carbon footprint of the products/services and companies, it is possible to reduce the negative environmental impact of the activities in question.

 

What other related terms are used for the reduction of CO₂ emissions?

The relevant literature uses several other terms related to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and climate protection, such as zero carbon emission, products/services and organisations with low carbon emissions, low carbon economy, carbon neutral activity, carbon trade, roadmap of carbon emission reduction, green public procurement, green strategies and so on.

 

Specific questions

 

What kind of data is required for the CF assessment?

The assessment uses primary data (e.g. available at the source, originated from measurements) and/or secondary data (e.g. from databases). The data should be relevant, complete, accurate and transparent. It is necessary to use average data for a one-year period.

 

What is the CF life cycle assessment?

This is the procedure used to assess the GHG emissions of particular products/services during their life cycle.

 

What are the total and the partial CF?

The total CF assesses the life cycle of a product from the producer to the end user (business to consumer, B2C). The partial CF assesses the life cycle of a product from the producer to another user (business to business, B2B).

 

Over what period should the assessment be carried out?

In general, it should cover one year. If the emissions cover more than one year, a weighted average should be calculated.

 

What sources of GHG emissions are taken into account?

The assessment should take into account the use of energy, fuel, losses of refrigeration gas, services, land use change, waste production and agricultural activities. It takes into account emissions from the use of fossil fuels. Those resulting from biological sources are not taken in account, except for the land use change. It should also take into account emissions which do not result in CO₂ emissions from fossil or biological sources.

 

How to define the limits of the analysis?

If the product already has a product category rule (PCR), this should be taken in account. If there are no PCR, it is necessary to establish the limits of the analysis for each product and process, as well as the required materials, energy, production/service processes, transport, storage and final use.

    

What to do if the emissions of a product  change during the year?

Sufficient data has to be gathered in order to assess the GHG emissions product during its life cycle.

 

For how long is the assessment valid?

For max. 2 years, provided there are no changes in the life cycle of the product.

 

What to do in the case of secondary products?

The so-called allocation procedures should be used when the product process is divided into 2-3 other smaller processes, then the IO data for the smaller processes should be gathered, or the production system boundary should be extended. If none of this methods can be used, than the economic value of the main and the secondary products has to be taken into account.

 

How to make the assessment in the transport phase when several products are transported in the lorry?

It is recommended to use fragmentation according to weight. The return transport should be considered as well.

 

Who is eligible to make the CF verification?

The assessment can be made according to ISO 14025 or type III assessment, when the authorised national accreditation body prepares the assessment. Other options are as follows: own ISO 14024 or type II assessment or ISO14021 or type I assessment by a third party. The most frequently used is the type III assessment.