Question 1

1) What is Product Carbon Footprint? (What is CFP)

Accepted Answer

Product Carbon Footprint (CFP) is the quantification, in CO₂e terms, of the greenhouse gas emissions arising from a product's or service's life cycle within a defined system boundary. As of July 2026, the applicable ISO 14067:2018 allows both full CFP and partial CFP studies and focuses only on the climate change impact category.

Question 2

2) What is ISO 14067 product carbon footprint consultancy?

Accepted Answer

ISO 14067 consultancy is the establishment of the goal and scope, the functional unit, system boundaries, data-quality rules and calculation model; the management of data collection, results reporting and, where necessary, the independent verification readiness process. As of July 2026 the applicable version is ISO 14067:2018; a new edition is under development as ISO/WD 14067.2 and is not yet in force.

Question 3

3) How is the Product Carbon Footprint calculated?

Accepted Answer

The functional unit or an appropriate reference unit, the system boundary and data-quality criteria are defined; energy, material, process, logistics, packaging, use and end-of-life data are collected according to the relevant scope. Primary and appropriate secondary data are modelled with emission factors or LCI data, allocation and cut-off rules are justified, and results are checked for data quality, uncertainty and sensitivity.

Question 4

4) What is Product Carbon Footprint verification?

Accepted Answer

Verification is the assessment of a product greenhouse gas statement by an independent party against defined criteria. ISO 14064-3:2019 is applicable to the verification and validation of product greenhouse gas statements; ISO 14065:2020 and its general conformity-assessment framework, ISO/IEC 17029:2019, may also be relevant for verification bodies. Any additional requirements of a programme or legislation, if applicable, apply separately.

Question 5

5) What is the difference between Product Carbon Footprint and corporate carbon footprint?

Accepted Answer

Corporate carbon footprint focuses on the organisation-level greenhouse gas inventory and relates to standards such as ISO 14064-1, while product carbon footprint examines the climate impact of a specific product or service within a defined life-cycle system boundary. Because organisational and product system boundaries differ, the results cannot be directly converted between the two.

Question 6

6) What do cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave scopes mean?

Accepted Answer

Cradle-to-gate covers the stages from raw material acquisition to the product leaving the facility gate. Cradle-to-grave additionally covers distribution, use and end-of-life, as applicable. Since ISO 14067 also permits partial CFP, the system boundary must be justified based on the purpose of the study, the product's characteristics and any applicable product category or programme rules.

Question 7

7) How are the functional unit and reference flow defined?

Accepted Answer

The functional unit defines, in measurable terms, the function provided by the product system; the reference flow expresses the quantity of product needed to provide that function. Where product comparison or performance assessment is intended, clear definition of characteristics such as function, quality, duration and quantity is particularly important.

Question 8

8) What are primary and secondary data?

Accepted Answer

Primary data is activity data obtained directly from a facility, process, supplier or measurement system. Secondary data comes from LCI databases, sector sources or published reliable datasets. Selection should consider technological, geographical and temporal representativeness, along with uncertainty and traceability of the data source.

Question 9

9) How are emission factors and databases selected?

Accepted Answer

Selection of emission factors and LCI datasets should consider geographical, technological and temporal representativeness; data quality; system model; licence conditions; and consistency with the methodology. Databases such as Ecoinvent are common examples, but the name of a database alone does not guarantee its suitability for a particular study.

Question 10

10) Which software is used for modelling?

Accepted Answer

Tools such as SimaPro, Sphera LCA for Experts and openLCA are commonly used for life-cycle modelling. Software selection should be based on the databases to be used, model complexity, licence conditions, audit trail, and the expectations of the customer or verification programme.

Question 11

11) How is logistics/transport handled in the calculation?

Accepted Answer

Transport mode, distance, mass or volume transported, vehicle and fuel technology, load factor and, where necessary, empty return trips are assessed. In multi-modal supply chains each transport leg is modelled separately, and the assumptions used are reported together with the data source.

Question 12

12) How is the packaging impact calculated?

Accepted Answer

Primary, secondary and tertiary packaging are modelled by scope according to material type, mass, production data, reuse cycle and end-of-life scenarios. Recycling or reuse benefits should be treated according to the LCA approach used and any applicable PCR rules.

Question 13

13) How is end-of-life (EoL) and recycling modelled?

Accepted Answer

End-of-life modelling considers realistic scenarios for recycling, reuse, energy recovery, landfill and other disposal routes. Whether cut-off, substitution or another allocation approach is used should be selected according to the goal and scope of the study and any applicable PCR or programme rules, avoiding double counting, with the justification clearly reported.

Question 14

14) How are electricity/energy emissions determined?

Accepted Answer

Data used for electricity and other energy carriers must be consistent with the study's methodology and system boundary. Grid data, supplier or contract-based information, generation technology and the representativeness of the data period should be documented; consistency of different energy data approaches within the same study should be checked.

Question 15

15) What is the difference between PCF and LCA?

Accepted Answer

Product Carbon Footprint focuses only on the climate change impact category. Life Cycle Assessment can, depending on the purpose and method used, also assess water use, acidification, eutrophication, resource use and other environmental impact categories in addition to climate change. ISO 14067 is based on a life-cycle approach consistent with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.

Question 16

16) What is the relationship between EPD (ISO 14025) and Product Carbon Footprint?

Accepted Answer

As of July 2026, an EPD, under the current ISO 14025:2026 framework, declares multiple LCA-based environmental indicators according to the relevant programme and PCR rules. Product Carbon Footprint focuses on the climate change indicator. Although the Global Warming Potential results in an EPD are related to CFP, the two results are not necessarily identical in every case due to PCR, system boundaries, modules and modelling rules. EN 15804 relates specifically to the sectoral rules used for construction product EPDs in particular; it is not the general standard for all EPDs.

Question 17

17) Why are PCR rules important?

Accepted Answer

Product Category Rules (PCR) can define, in greater detail, matters such as system boundaries, data rules, allocation, indicators and reporting format for a specific product category. Using the correct and current PCR is critical for comparability and verifiability, particularly in EPD programmes.

Question 18

18) What should be considered for food products?

Accepted Answer

For food products, agricultural inputs, land-use-related data, fertiliser-related N₂O, methane from livestock, process energy, cold chain, packaging, food loss and end-of-life scenarios can be significant. Which processes dominate depends on the product and system boundary.

Question 19

19) How is calculation done for chemical/plastic products?

Accepted Answer

For chemical and plastic products, raw material production, energy and steam consumption, process yield, by-products, recycled content, auxiliary materials and the allocation method can significantly affect results. In multi-output processes, the allocation or system-expansion approach used must be clearly justified.

Question 20

20) Does this also apply to services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under ISO 14067 the concept of a product can also cover services. In a service CFP, the energy used, IT infrastructure, transport, purchased services and other relevant inputs are modelled within the defined functional unit and system boundary.

Question 21

21) How is a reduction plan prepared?

Accepted Answer

First, a hotspot analysis identifies the life-cycle stages and processes contributing most to the total result. Then reduction options in areas such as energy efficiency, material change, supplier selection, logistics, design, packaging and end-of-life are assessed together with technical feasibility and data quality; progress is recalculated on the same methodological basis.

Question 22

22) What is the relationship between carbon neutrality/offsetting?

Accepted Answer

ISO 14067 focuses on quantifying a product's gross carbon footprint; carbon offsetting is outside the scope of the standard. If a reduction or neutrality claim is to be made, the gross CFP result, actual reductions and any carbon credits must be clearly separated, and the current programme, contractual and environmental-claim rules applicable to the claim must also be applied separately.

Question 23

23) Which standards are used in verification?

Accepted Answer

ISO 14064-3:2019 can be used for verifying or validating product greenhouse gas statements. For verification bodies, ISO 14065:2020 is the sectoral application of ISO/IEC 17029:2019 for environmental information. Whether accreditation is required depends on the provisions of the relevant programme, customer requirement or legislation; accredited verification requires the body to be accredited in the relevant scope where required.

Question 24

24) How are uncertainty and sensitivity analysis shown?

Accepted Answer

The effect of data quality and model assumptions on the result can be assessed through scenario analysis, parameter ranges, alternative datasets or, where appropriate, statistical methods. Sensitivity analysis should particularly make visible the effect of key assumptions, allocation choices and data gaps on the result.

Question 25

25) How are multi-supplier chains managed?

Accepted Answer

Standard data-request templates, data ownership and quality criteria are established for suppliers. Where primary supplier data is not available, appropriate secondary data may be used temporarily; however, data gaps, proxy data selection and the update plan must be clearly traceable in the report.

Question 26

26) What determines project duration and cost?

Accepted Answer

Duration and cost depend on the complexity of the product tree, the number of facilities and suppliers, data access, the system boundary, PCR or customer requirements, the databases to be used, and the need for independent verification. A sound proposal should therefore be developed after a brief scope and data-maturity assessment.

Question 27

27) How are results published; are labels/claims made?

Accepted Answer

ISO 14067 defines the requirements for quantifying and reporting CFP; the external communication of CFP or partial CFP information is outside the scope of the standard. If a public product claim, label or marketing communication is to be made, applicable programme rules, contracts and environmental-claim standards must be assessed separately. As of July 2026, ISO 14021:2026 is also among the current references for self-declared environmental claims.

Question 28

28) What are common mistakes?

Accepted Answer

Common mistakes include an incorrect or vague functional unit, an unjustified system boundary, outdated or poorly representative data, inconsistent allocation, missing packaging and logistics processes, incorrectly modelled end-of-life, and undocumented assumptions. Traceability must be established between the calculation file and the technical report.

Question 29

29) What does the initial checklist include?

Accepted Answer

At the outset, the product tree or BOM, process flows, production volume, energy and fuel data, raw material and auxiliary material quantities, packaging, logistics, waste and end-of-life information, supplier lists, existing EPD or LCI data, the data period and responsible persons should be identified. The system boundary and functional unit must be approved before data collection begins.

Question 30

30) How is a consultant selected?

Accepted Answer

The consultant's command of ISO 14067 and LCA methodology, relevant sector experience, ability to transparently explain the data and allocation approach, capability to manage the LCI data sources used, and experience with verification or EPD process readiness should be assessed. It is also important to separate the consultancy role from the independent verification role in terms of impartiality requirements.

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