Product carbon footprinting for manufacturers and suppliers

Carbon Footprinting for Product Manufacturing and Suppliers

Dr Craig Jones

@EcoCraigJones

Contents

• About Circular Ecology

• Context

• Benefits of product carbon footprinting

• Why do people carbon footprint?

• Carbon footprint reporting

• Summary

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

Context:Sustainable Development

Carbon Footprinting

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

Sustainability – The 3 Pillars

Why Carbon?

Provenance

Escalating Global CO2 Emissions

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

Benefits of Product Carbon Footprinting

Carbon Footprinting

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

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?

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

Survey of Carbon Footprint UsersDrivers

Survey of Carbon Footprint UsersBenefits

Reporting The Carbon Footprint of Your Products

Carbon Footprinting

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

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

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

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

Product Carbon Footprint Labels

• Carbon Trust’s Carbon Footprint Label

• PAS 2050 or GHG Protocol assessment

• Mainly consumer products

Product Carbon Footprint Labels

• Carbon neutral labels

• e.g. from carbon neutral company

• Requires measurement and then offsetting of the amount of carbon

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)

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

Closing Thoughts

Carbon Footprinting

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)

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

Closing Thought -A Rhetorical Question…

Which of these is the more sustainable way of transporting people and goods?

Please feel free to get in touch

[email protected]

@EcoCraigJones

Carbon Footprinting