What’s so difficult about the CO2 footprint? (Part 2)

The topic of carbon footprints in general and in relation to organizations was already discussed in a previous post. However, the CO2 footprint of products, the CFP (= carbon footprint), is much more complex, but much more significant in terms of production costs and consumption behavior. This calculates how much CO2 equivalent is emitted into or removed from the atmosphere by a specific product. A distinction is made between the absolute value assigned to the product (CFP), which relates to the entire life cycle of the product, and the partial value (pCFP), which only describes a specific process or life cycle stage of the product. As we are generally talking about complex value chains, with numerous upstream and intermediate products and also with a large number of process steps and participants, it is easy to imagine that a whole range of influencing variables must quickly be considered here. Such a product-related analysis can be carried out in accordance with ISO 14067, for example, and the definition and description of the system boundaries is also very important here. Here too, the scopes are used to differentiate between the various causal chains. Scope 1 and Scope 2 refer to direct and indirect emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels or the purchase of energy. Scope 3, on the other hand, comprises 15 categories according to the globally recognized Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHP). These range from emissions from purchased materials and input materials to emissions resulting from transportation processes and the assessment of process waste and product disposal. From a company’s perspective, the partial carbon footprint (pCFP) is particularly important, as it has little influence on the upstream and downstream value creation processes. With the help of the pCFP, good comparative statements can be made about products and processes. The absolute carbon footprint (CFP) is particularly interesting when certain product types are to be compared with each other, such as paper bags vs. plastic bags. In any case, however, comparability is only possible if the same system boundaries, input and reference values are used.

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