From Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) to Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)

The CCF measures the greenhouse gas footprint for the entire company and helps to identify generally possible CO₂ savings and to specifically reduce or eliminate them. If a company is to be considered climate-neutral, it must fully compensate for non-avoidable emissions by purchasing official certificates and supporting climate protection projects.  

The PCF is part of the CCF and breaks down in detailed form the footprint of each individual product. This also gives customers the means to track the emissions of the products they purchase. Even if smart-TEC voluntarily compensates for the emissions without exception, the goal remains to avoid emissions.   

How is the PCF calculated? 

Product Carbon Footprint (or PCF for short) refers to the climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions generated during a product's life cycle. To calculate the CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e - unit of measurement for standardising the climate impact of the different greenhouse gases) of a product or service, data is needed on the raw materials used, the manufacturing processes, the logistics and the disposal. Using the emission factors and the resources actually consumed yields an overall picture of the footprint. To reduce the complexity of the numerous product variants, an average emission factor is calculated for each product group and then offset against the actual resource consumption per order. The system boundaries are defined according to cradle-to-gate ('from the cradle to the factory gate')+ end-of-life. 

What is the PCF needed for? 

Analysing the PCF offers numerous advantages for smart-TEC and creates transparency for all parties involved: 

1. Increased understanding and comparability of the ecological footprint of individual products and thus their impact on our climate. 
2. Identification of the largest sources of emissions in the life cycle (= largest possible CO₂ savings). 
3. Possibility to compensate for non-avoidable emissions in order to make products climate neutral. 

Who determines and controls how the PCF is calculated?

The product-related data for the PCF are collected by smart-TEC themselves or obtained from the suppliers and stored in corresponding tools. The calculations are then verified by ClimatePartner (partner for climate neutrality). This is based on the internationally valid standard of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). 

Where do the emission factors come from (raw materials, energy, mobility,...)?

The emission factors used in the tools to calculate the PCF come from ClimatePartner. Over the years, the company has developed its own database with several thousand emission factors, compiled from external databases such as Ecoinvent, DEFRA, Agribalyse, etc., as well as from its own data records.