Product Carbon Footprint Is Not Only About Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Does the Product Carbon Footprint Only Measure the Carbon Dioxide?

Well, the answer is ❌ No, the Product Carbon Footprint ("PCF") is not just about measuring a product's CO2 emissions, but about taking into account all the greenhouse gases ("GHGs") produced throughout a product's lifecycle (from raw material extraction to the end of the finished product's life).

The PCF and Material Carbon Footprint ("MCF") are expressed in CO2 equivalents ("CO2e" or "CO2-eq"), which are calculated based on the global warming potential ("GWP") of the greenhouse gas.

Converting these greenhouse gas emissions into CO2e serves the purpose of simplicity and makes them easy to compare. In product design, for example, the PCF allows the CO2e value of one product component to be quickly compared with another, creating transparency as to which is the more environmentally friendly choice. However, PCF can only be measured accurately if sufficient, scientific and up-to-date data are used as the basis for the calculations.

So what exactly is measured by the PCF and the MCF? Well, they are looking at the following GHGs:

• Carbond Dioxide (CO₂)
• Methane (CH₄)
• Nitrous oxide (N₂O)

as well as the fluorinated GHGs (so-called "F-gases"):

• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulphur hexaflouride (SF₆)
• Nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃)

You want to know more about accurate CO2data, PCF and MCF? Contact us.

You want to look into those greenhouse gases' GWP in more detail? Feel free to consult the Greenhouse Gas Protocol's Global Warming Potential Values table.