Life Cycle Assessment of the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) | Bureau Veritas
Calculation of your product-specific emissions along the entire life cycle
More and more consumers are including sustainability aspects in their purchasing decisions. It is therefore more important for companies not only to make transparent the emissions emitted in relation to their organization, but also to determine the life cycle assessment of their products/services.
Each product or service has its own individual environmental footprint (incl. Product Carbon Footprint, PCF). This is recorded in a life cycle assessment. This is a systematic approach in which the potential environmental impacts of a product or service are recorded along its entire life cycle. The calculation already includes the environmental impacts that arise during the extraction of the raw materials required to manufacture the product, as well as other potential impacts that arise during production, use, waste treatment and disposal. Potential environmental impacts include resource consumption and environmental impacts resulting from the release of emissions.
Bureau Veritas has extensive experience in carbon footprint calculation and reporting, and can help you understand the results and identify areas for improvement.
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT WITH BUREAU VERITAS
Choosing Bureau Veritas for doing a Life Cycle Assessment gives you a clear overview of the volume of emissions, and therefore the environmental impact, associated with your products or services. Our experts take a close look at the entire life cycle of your products/services. The calculation is based on the international standards ISO 14040, ISO 14044 and ISO 14067 and includes both primary (own data) and secondary data (e.g. information from databases).
A typical process flow of a Life Cycle Assessment with Bureau Veritas looks as follows:
TYPICAL PROCESS FOR AN LCA PROJECT
From the Kick-Off Meeting to the Report - Click to Learn More
BENEFITS OF A LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
By completing a life cycle assessment, you are contributing to:
- Improve the company's sustainability commitment and positioning with sustainability initiatives
- Identify opportunities to optimize purchasing decisions throughout the supply chain
- Identify opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Develop marketing strategies
- Encourage participation in national volunteer programs
- Identify new business opportunities
- Comply with current and future regulations
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What is the difference between a life cycle assessment and product carbon footprint?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) refers to the methodology used to assess the environmental impact during the entire life cycle ("cradle to gate" or "cradle to grave") of a product. One of these environmental impacts is the product carbon footprint.
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What environmental impacts are calculated when calculating the LCA?
For the calculation of a life cycle assessment, the following environmental impacts, among others, are taken into account:
- Global Warming Potential (GWP), also known as Product Carbon Footprint (kg CO2 eq.)
- Water Scarcity/Water Footprint (m3 eq. )
- Eutrophication Potential (kg PO4 eq. )
- Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Potential (kg CFC-11 eq.)
- Smog Creation (Photochemical Ozone Creation) potential (kg O3 eq.)
- Toxicity (HTP)
- Primary Energy Demand/PED (MJ)
- Particulate Matter/PM (kg particulate matter)
- And many more...
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What information/documents does Bureau Veritas need to calculate the Product Carbon Footprint?
Bureau Veritas provides a data collection sheet to be filled in by a contact person from your company with data and information related to the product and company. An introduction by Bureau Veritas to the data collection will take place in a kick-off meeting.
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How long does it take to calculate the Product Carbon Footprint?
Depending on the data situation, complexity, diversity, as well as the goal and scope of the study (one or more products or a complete product portfolio), the calculation can be done within 2-3 weeks or will take several months.
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Is it possible to include emissions along the supply chain in the LCA of the product as well as identify hotspots related to potential environmental footprint in the supply chains?
Yes, a life cycle assessment analyzes the total emissions (including Scope 3 emissions) across the entire value chain of a product, so that a basis for strategic development towards decarbonization and net zero emissions can take place.
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Can Bureau Veritas also handle carbon footprint verification?
Yes, Bureau Veritas can take care of the verification of the Product Carbon Footprint as well as the Corporate Carbon Footprint, but only if the calculation is done by the company itself or by an independent third party.
For more information, please visit our Product Carbon Footprint Verification and Corporate Carbon Footprint Verification service pages.
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What other services, related to LCA, does Bureau Veritas offer?
- Quality assurance of a life cycle assessment
- Calculation and verification of the corporate carbon footprint
- Verification of the Product Carbon Footprint
- Preparation of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
- Creation of a Carbon Footprint Calculator
- Calculation and verification of the Water Footprint
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For which products can the carbon footprint be calculated?
LCA is applicable to many products, e.g..:
- Chemicals (bulks, intermediates and fine chemicals).
- Packaging (plastics, paper, glass, metals)
- Electronic devices
- Metal parts (e.g. automotive parts)
- Buildings
- Food
- Energy
For more information on our carbon footprint services, click here.