Climate change arising from anthropogenic activity has been identified as one of the greatest challenges facing the world and will continue to affect business and citizens over future decades.
Climate
change has implications for both human and natural systems and could lead to
significant impacts on resource availability, economic activity, and human
wellbeing. In response, international, regional, national, and local
initiatives are being developed and implemented by public and private sectors
to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere as
well as to facilitate adaptation to climate change.
There
is a need for an effective and progressive response to the urgent threat of
climate change on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge. ISO
produces documents that support the transformation of scientific knowledge into
tools that will help address climate change.
GHG
initiatives on mitigation rely on the quantification, monitoring, reporting and
verification of GHG emissions and/or removals.
This
document specifies principles, requirements and guidelines for the
quantification and reporting of the carbon footprint of a product (CFP), in a
manner consistent with International Standards on life cycle assessment (LCA)
(ISO 14040 and ISO 14044).
This
document addresses only a single impact category: climate change. Carbon
offsetting and communication of CFP or partial CFP information are outside the
scope of this document.
This
document does not assess any social or economic aspects or impacts, or any
other environmental aspects and related impacts potentially arising from the
life cycle of a product.
REDUCING
CARBON FOOTPRINT MADE EASIER WITH NEW INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
We
are all suffocating in the heat of global warming, as the recent European
heatwave lays testament to – and it may soon become the norm. A study showed
that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise as they do, by 2100 74 % of
the world’s population will be exposed to deadly heatwaves.1) The only solution
is to reduce our carbon footprint, but first we need to measure it. An
internationally agreed ISO standard for quantifying the carbon footprint of
products has just been published.
According
to the Global Footprint Network, an international non-profit research
organization offering insights and metrics to advance sustainability, we are
falling into ecological debt, and if we keep consuming the earth’s resources at
the current rate, we will soon need the equivalent of 1.7 earths to survive.2)
Rising
greenhouse gas emissions – mostly caused by our rabid consumption – have
resulted in the climate chaos and consequent food and water supply disruption
we see now. But much can be done to reverse this, by reducing our carbon
footprint.
ISO 14067:2018, Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification, has just been published as an International Standard, providing globally agreed principles, requirements and guidelines for the quantification and reporting of the carbon footprint of a product (CFP). It will give organizations of all kinds a means to calculate the carbon footprint of their products and provide a better understanding of ways in which they can reduce it.
ISO 14067:2018 replaces technical specification ISO/TS 14067:2013, which was upgraded to International Standard status after the market signalled a need for a more in-depth document.
Daniele Pernigotti, Convenor of the working group that developed the standard, said measuring the CFP is considered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as a keyway of contributing to the achievement of international climate action goals.
“It allows organizations to more accurately see where the main impacts on their carbon footprint are generated related to the production of their products, and thus take appropriate actions to reduce it,” he said.
“For example, if it is related to raw materials, they can investigate using others, or if it is related to transport, they can look at improvements to their logistics model or investigate suppliers or distributors closer to home.”
Key changes from the technical specification include greater focus on quantification, moving other topics such as communication to standards in the ISO 14000 environmental management family; greater clarity on a range of aspects such as calculating the use of electricity; and the introduction of specific guidance for agricultural and forestry products.
ISO 14067 is part of the ISO 14060 family of standards for quantifying, monitoring, reporting and validating greenhouse gas emissions to support a low-carbon economy.
The
standard was developed by working group WG 8 of ISO technical committee ISO/TC
207, Environmental management, subcommittee SC 7, Greenhouse gas management and
related activities, the secretariat of which is held jointly by SCC, ISO’s
member for Canada, and SAC, ISO’s member for China. It can be purchased from
your national ISO member or though the ISO Store.
What
is ISO 14067 and why is it useful for carbon footprint?
In recent years, climate change has emerged as one of the most important environmental issues. The cause of the global warming is the increase of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), which leads to greater interest of the consumers and other stakeholders in the environmental impact of their activities, products, and services. Although this means a challenge for organizations, it can also be seen as an opportunity. The certification of the Carbon Footprint, which belongs to the environmental series ISO 14000, enables the organization to demonstrate its environmental responsibility.
Currently,
there are two types of methodology approaches for the carbon footprint
calculation: one is based on the organization, and the other on the product. In
this article, we will focus on the international standard for the
quantification and communication of the products.
The
concept of CFP (Carbon Footprint of a Product)
The
Carbon Footprint of a Product is the total of the greenhouse emissions
generated during the life cycle assessment of a product—that is, from raw
material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal.
The GHG are considered all gaseous substances for which the IPCC (Integrated
Pollution Prevention and Control) has defined a global warming potential
coefficient. They are expressed in mass-based CO2 equivalents (CO2e), which is
the unit of measurement in ISO 14067.
The
contribution of the standard
In May 2013, ISO TS 14067:2013 was published, which specifies principles, requirements, and guidelines for the quantification and communication of the carbon footprint of products (CFPS), including goods and services, covering GHG emissions and removals over the life cycle of a product.
The standard establishes a recognized reference frame for the Carbon Footprint of a Product, and it has been considered as “a very important tool for obtaining a good indication of areas in which greenhouse gases can be reduced” by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Klaus Radunsky.
Prior
to the publication of this standard, numerous assessment models were developed;
however, there were no objective analyses or tools for comparing these
classifications. This was the main reason for the standard’s development, which
was based on previous environmental labeling and management standards.
The
application of ISO 14067
ISO 14067 provides the criteria to calculate the Carbon Footprint of a Product, now a competitive tool in the marketplace. This increases the consumer trust on this environmental indicator and helps to clarify the labeling of the products.
The international standard bases the footprint calculation on the life cycle analysis. That helps to discern which stage is responsible for most of the emissions, provides valuable information on how to correctly identify the opportunities for improvement, and allows for achievement of maximum efficiency.
The standard clarifies the GHG assessment, providing specific requirements in the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, choosing system boundaries and simulating use and end-of-life phases when quantifying Carbon Footprint of a Product (CFP).
The
functional unit in ISO 14067 can be either a product or a service. The results
of a CFP study can be reported as a product unit or in terms of services
provided.
System
boundaries
Results for the carbon footprint will vary widely depending on what is included when making the calculations, and the methodology.
According to ISO 14067, the life cycle stages that need to be studied in the LCA are defined by the following system boundaries:
Cradle-to-grave:
includes the emissions and removals generated during the full life of cycle of
the product
Cradle-to-gate:
includes the emissions and removals up to where the product leaves the
organization
Gate-to-gate:
includes the emissions and removals that arise in the supply chain
Partial
CFP: includes the emissions and removals that come only from specific stages
Selecting system boundaries avoids data manipulation, because organizations will no longer be able to exclude life cycle stages that they claim to have limited significance.
Communication
practices
Carbon footprint is becoming popular among companies to differentiate their products in a competitive market, hence the importance of the communication of this measurement.
ISO 14067 makes a valuable contribution to GHG quantification, allowing a transparent communication and comparison of CFPs made among identical quantification and communication requirements.
The standard provides a step-by-step guide and standardized template for communicating the result of the CFPs. That can be made in the form of a CFP external communication report, CFP performance tracking report, CFP declaration, or CFP label. A standardized format of each type is provided in the standard.
This is also complemented by an external communication report (ECR) and a carbon footprint performance report (CFPR). These reports depend less on quantification and provide quick and traceable information to the final consumers.
Benefits
There are many benefits that arise when performing a CFP assessment:
The
standard makes reliable and comparable parameters available to organizations
and consumers.
Life
cycle processes that significantly contribute to CFP can be identified by
service providers and manufacturers; thus, improvement in the efficiency of the
value creation chain by reducing emissions can be achieved when taking targeted
measures. Furthermore, this LCA can help organizations to implement other
standards, for instance ISO 14001:2015 (see more about the ISO 14001 approach
in the article Lifecycle perspective in ISO 14001:2015 – What does it mean?).
The
standard provides a transparent quantification and reporting of the GHG,
including those generated from the production to the waste disposal or
recycling – that is, the whole life cycle of the product or service.
ISO
14067 is also consistent with other environmental standards, for instance, ISO
14025 (environmental labels and declarations), ISO 14044 (lifecycle
assessment), and BSI PAS 2050 (specification for the assessment of the
lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services).
The
calculation of CFP is the first step towards the implementation of a reduction
and offsetting strategy for the emissions.
Making
a difference
The
publication of this standard means a step forward in GHG quantification by
using a new range of system boundaries, but furthermore provides transparent
communication and comparison, because ISO 14067 makes available a standardized
template for reporting CFP assessments. By implementing this standard, a
company demonstrates its environmental responsibility, differentiation itself
from competitors and reinforcing its image.
ISO
14067 Consultants
This international standard provides the requirements and guidelines to quantify the carbon footprint of products.
Our
ISO 14067 consultants can help you implement the standard and report on the
carbon footprint of your product.
Principles
The standard sets out key principles which should be built into your carbon footprint programme.
Our
consultants can provide training and awareness on these, and the whole
programmes.
Methodology
for Quantifying Carbon Footprint
The
standard provides a detailed methodology framework that organizations can use
to quantify the carbon footprint of their products, including the scope of the
study, collecting data and the impact assessment of carbon factors.
Life
Cycle Assessment
ISO 14067 takes a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to quantifying the carbon footprint of a product and builds on standards such as ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.
This
means all phases of a product are analysed including raw materials, packaging,
transport, sales, and disposal (or recycling).
Carbon
Footprint Report
The output of ISO 14067 is a carbon footprint report for your product which enables you to identify areas for improvement within the life cycle of your product and ultimately reduce your carbon impact.
The
report can be shared with buyers or publicly as part of your social
responsibility programme or used internally as part of your carbon management
programme.
Start
Your Carbon Footprint Assessment, contact us:
Ms. Van
Pham
Commercial
Executive - HCMC and Vietnam's southern
Hotline:
0933 09 6426
Email: van.pham@iscvietnam.net
ISC Vietnam
Phone: 028
2226 8288
Add:
No.31, Alley 487, Kim Nguu Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi Office: Room 1407, Building 15T2, No.18, Tam Trinh Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Da Nang
Office: Sunrise Building - No 25, 2/9 Street, Hai Chau District, Da Nang City,
Vietnam
HCM
Office: 8E (8/29) Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Ward 7, Binh Thanh District, HCMC.
Website: https://iscvietnam.net/ - http://cpg.global/
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