Carbon Footprint of Product – Systematic Approach

The first step in combating climate change is to measure your carbon footprint.

The carbon footprint, expressed in terms of tonnes of CO2e, is an indicator the calculation of which makes it possible to estimate the amount of climate-changing gas emissions – those gas emissions that have an effect on global warming – directly or indirectly generated by a product, a service, a company, or even a single individual.

From Life Cycle Assessment to Carbon Footprint of Product – Systematic Approach

The Carbon Footprint of Product (CFP) is based on the Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ) method, an analytical and certified process internationally standardised by the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards, which measures the entire life cycle of a product, from cradle to grave.

The ISO 14067 standard introduced the concept of Carbon Footprint of Product – Systematic Approach (CFP – SA) of an organisation, which facilitates the development of the CFP assessment for multiple products within the same organisation.

In fact, the Systematic Approach can be applied to a variety of products and/or services within the same organisation, as long as they have the same scope of application, in terms of data sets and allocation methods.

The requirements of the CFP – Systematic Approach

There are 3 types of requirements that the CFP – Systematic Approach must meet: general requirements, CFP-SA description-specific requirements and CFP-SA procedural requirements.

The general requirements call for:

• the description of the sequence of activities of the process for defining the CFP Communication, the definition of the relevant operational procedures for its implementation and for its control and monitoring;
• the definition of the responsibilities of the various individuals within the organisation involved in the CFP-SA process, and of the material and human resources used;
• the implementation of some important methods to identify the risk elements that may lead to an unrepresentative CFP.

The description-specific requirements of the CFP-SA call for:

• the definition of the acquisition activity and the data useful for defining the LCA and how it should be managed;
• the implementation of a pilot case for a specific product, validated for accuracy and representativeness. Once this is completed, the system will be applicable to all products within its scope.

The procedural requirements of the CFP-SA call for:

• the explicit reference to the versions of the PCRs adopted;
• the indication of additional requirements defined by the Program Operator (if any);
• the definition of the activities foreseen for the possible external verification (by an independent third party) of the CFP.

Benefits of the Carob Footprint of Product – Systematic Approach

The CFP-SA is ideal for companies that need to quantify the environmental impacts of their entire current or future product or service range. The CFP-SA enables the company to become more responsive to the demands of customers, partners and stakeholders.

The certified CFP-SA allows companies to develop the individual carbon footprints of products or services that fall within the scope of the CFP-SA themselves, without the need for individual verification by an accredited certification body, which may not always allow for adequate turnaround times.

With the CFP-SA, the company takes an active role in defining and controlling all the processes, information and data that lead to the realisation of each product CFP, and in monitoring its continued effectiveness over time.

FITT and ISO 14067 certification – Systematic Approach

With the goal of mapping 50 per cent of its products using the LCA method by 2025 and 80 per cent by 2030, FITT has embarked on the road to ISO 14067 certification.

The creation of the model and the IT structure for data collection and maintenance required a significant initial effort on the part of the company. At the same time, FITT is now able to obtain standardised data year on year, create a robust and repeatable database, have up-to-date and certified data, and generate increasingly accurate and timely simulations.
All for the benefit of truthful and transparent communication with customers, partners, stakeholders and the communities in which it operates.