Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A carbon footprint of products and services is a powerful way for a company to identify greenhouse gas emissions of their product from "cradle to grave".

Most products and services themselves do not pollute, it is the factories that made them, the trucks that transported them, the user who uses them and the incinerator that burns them. Life-cycle thinking will help the company to understand how their products are contributing to climate change and where in the process the action should be made to reduce the climate impact. A life cycle assessment of a product will help the company to:

• Reduce GHG emissions
• Identify cost savings opportunities
• Incorporate emissions impact into decision making on suppliers, materials, product design,manufacturing processes, etc.
• Demonstrate environmental/corporate responsibility Leadership
• Meet customer demands for information on product carbon footprints
• Differentiate and meet demands from green consumers

CO2focus uses the standard PAS 2050 which is the only standard that provides a method for assessing a product carbon footprint. PAS 2050 is developed by BSI British Standards and co-sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Figure: Process map

Source: World Resource Institute

Contact person:
Per Otto Larsen
Head of Carbon Management Services
perotto[a]co2focus.com