Footprint Your Product
Summary:
A product footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production, use and disposal of a product. Although goods are often footprinted it is possible to footprint a service – for instance the emissions associated with delivering a training course.
Undertaking a product footprint creates business value through: identifying GHG reduction and efficiency opportunities; enabling performance tracking; providing a means to differentiate your product from others and improving supplier dialogue.
Product footprints can require a significant amount of time and resources so you should carefully plan your investment to get maximum benefit – one option is to undertake a low risk ‘scoping study’ first to assess the best approach. The technical nature of these analyses means that most businesses will not have the internal capacity to undertake a full study, and so will need external help.
The UK was the first to launch a product footprinting standard – called PAS2050 – although international versions from the GHG Protocol and ISO are in draft and due for release in 2010. Published alongside PAS2050 was a full step-by-step guide to product footprinting and the standard aimed at those with little or no experience in the topic.
If the results of your footprint study are to be communicated externally or used as the basis of a green claim then it is highly advisable to get some independent assurance that your calculations are correct. This increases confidence in the numbers you report and provide evidence should you be challenged by the Advertising Standards Agency. See our dedicated page on green claims .
Further resources:
A product footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production, use and disposal of a product. Although goods are often footprinted it is possible to footprint a service – for instance the emissions associated with delivering a training course.
Undertaking a product footprint creates business value through: identifying GHG reduction and efficiency opportunities; enabling performance tracking; providing a means to differentiate your product from others and improving supplier dialogue.
Product footprints can require a significant amount of time and resources so you should carefully plan your investment to get maximum benefit – one option is to undertake a low risk ‘scoping study’ first to assess the best approach. The technical nature of these analyses means that most businesses will not have the internal capacity to undertake a full study, and so will need external help.
The UK was the first to launch a product footprinting standard – called PAS2050 – although international versions from the GHG Protocol and ISO are in draft and due for release in 2010. Published alongside PAS2050 was a full step-by-step guide to product footprinting and the standard aimed at those with little or no experience in the topic.
If the results of your footprint study are to be communicated externally or used as the basis of a green claim then it is highly advisable to get some independent assurance that your calculations are correct. This increases confidence in the numbers you report and provide evidence should you be challenged by the Advertising Standards Agency. See our dedicated page on green claims .
Further resources:
- Carbon Trust Footprinting Company – Government-funded body promoting footprinting
- BSI – PAS2050 specification on product footprinting & communication. Includes guide
- GHG Protocol – Draft international standard on product footprinting
- Envirowise – Eco-design