Lewandowski, Stefanie | Ullrich, André

Improvements for calculating and labeling the product carbon footprint on the basis of the Nutri-Score

Abstract

The effects of climate change show the importance of mitigating the effects of rising temperatures like extreme weather events (e.g. droughts). Hereby, the industry sector and especially energy production are the biggest greenhouse gas emitter worldwide. Consequently, companies have to reduce their carbon footprint. Nevertheless, it is often argued that customers should make sustainable shopping choices and in doing so influence retailers to become more sustainable. However, to enable consumers to purchase climate-friendly products, they need a reliable source of information. Therefore, companies should calculate the carbon footprint for each of their products. The product carbon footprint (PCF) is most commonly evaluated with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard, the PAS 2050, or the ISO 14067. In this whitepaper, these three standards are compared based on their different rules of calculation, result, and usability. The main calculation differences were found in the categories cut-off-criteria, capital goods, allocation & recycling, reporting, stored carbon, land-use change, green electricity, and uncertainty assessment. The GHG product standard has the most detailed explanations and guidelines. Furthermore, improvements to the standards are proposed to enhance their application and comparability. This is important to offer customers reliable information to enable climate-friendly choices.