What is a 'carbon footprint'?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. It is also called Carbon Profile.
It is the overall amount of carbon dioxide (CO2, along its supply-chain and sometimes including from use and end-of-life recovery and disposal. ) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product
Causes of these emissions are, for example, electricity production in power plants, heating with fossil fuels, transport operations and other industrial and agricultural processes.
How is the Carbon Footprint measured for a Product ?
The carbon footprint is a sub-set of the data covered by a more complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is an internationally standardized method (ISO 14040, ISO 14044) for the evaluation of the environmental burdens and resources consumed along the life cycle of products; from the extraction of raw materials, the manufacture of goods, their use by final consumers or for the provision of a service, recycling, energy recovery and ultimate disposal.
One of the key impact categories considered in an LCA is climate change.
Hence, a carbon footprint is a life cycle assessment with the analysis limited to emissions that have an effect on climate change. Suitable background data sources for the footprint are therefore those available in existing LCA databases. These databases contain the life cycle profiles of the goods and services that you purchase, as well as of many of the underlying materials, energy sources, transport and other services.