Carbon Footprint

Introduction

There is, at present, no single definition for product carbon footprinting. Each study into product carbon footprinting provides a slight variant on the definition of what a product carbon footprint is, this definition is normally dependent on the sector in which the study is based. In this paper, a definition of product carbon footprinting is provided which is sector independent. The different methods for product carbon footprinting are then discussed– the process method, the input-output method, and a hybrid of the two – as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Issues of data availability are then discussed, both in terms of data required to create a model, and data required by the model to produce the carbon footprint of a product. It is discussed how the carbon footprinting is validated and how uncertainty is used as a metric for accuracy. The state-of-the-art of carbon footprinting is explored and it is concluded that product carbon footprinting is still in its infancy and requires work to provide a clear definition of what it is, as well as how it is calculated.

WHAT IS THE CARBON FOOTPRINT?

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average is closer to 4 tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop under 2 tons by 2050. Lowering individual carbon footprints from 16 tons to 2 tons doesn’t happen overnight! By making small changes to our actions, like eating less meat, taking fewer connecting flights and line drying our clothes, we can start making a big difference.

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