A product carbon footprint (PCF) measures the total greenhouse gas emissions produced throughout a product’s lifecycle, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, usage, and disposal. Expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2), it quantifies a product’s environmental impact and helps identify emission hotspots.
Understanding a product’s carbon footprint enables companies and consumers to make more sustainable choices by pinpointing opportunities for emission reduction. This may involve selecting sustainable materials, optimising manufacturing processes, improving logistics efficiency, or designing products for enhanced longevity. Reducing a product’s carbon footprint is essential for addressing climate change as it directly targets emissions associated with production and consumption.
Why Product Carbon Footprint Matters
- Environmental Impact: Calculating the PCF enables companies to pinpoint areas where emissions can be reduced, minimising the product’s contribution to climate change.
- Sustainability Goals: Understanding PCF supports businesses in achieving net-zero targets and aligning with climate regulations such as ISO 14067.
- Consumer Awareness: A transparent PCF helps consumers make more sustainable choices by comparing the environmental impact of products.
- Operational Efficiency: Reducing a product’s carbon footprint often involves optimising manufacturing processes, improving logistics, and adopting sustainable materials.
Reducing Product Carbon Footprint
- Select Sustainable Materials: Use renewable or low-emission raw materials to minimise the initial environmental impact.
- Optimise Manufacturing: Improve energy efficiency in production processes to reduce
- CO2 emissions.Enhance Logistics: Streamline transportation and supply chains to lower emissions during distribution.
- Promote Product Longevity: Design durable products that reduce waste and require fewer replacements.
The boTec Real-Time PCF Solution enables the calculation of a product’s CO2 footprint by capturing and analysing production and emissions data along the value chain. This supports resource optimisation, identification of emission sources, and targeted reduction measures.