🌱 Product Carbon Footprints: A quick look at what they are and what's involved
+ we look at a framework to help share PCF data
Happy Monday! Every Monday we suit up and get serious - digging into a climate topic, rounding up the past week’s Good(s) News and sharing updates from across FTF, so you’re never out of the loop.
We’ve all seen products come out with a carbon footprint label at some point…but lately the sustainability world has been chattering about ‘Product Carbon Footprints’ like they are something new. Well, we are not the kind of crowd at FTF that just looks it up on Google and that’s it. No, we need to look at new sustainability trends up close…and somehow this month that meant attending a pasta-making evening that had a product carbon footprint theme (thanks for taking one for the team Ruby!). Full up on pasta but not satiated on product carbon footprint knowledge, we bring you a quick look at what they are all about.
We are also pleased to feature our new sponsor this week, the Better Business Summit. FTF is partnering with the summit team and taking to the stage in January to bring our thirst for knowledge to you live as we chat to brands we love.
The Better Business Summit is the annual flagship conference by the Better Business Network and betternotstop taking place Wednesday 15th - Friday 17th January 2025. A two day conference followed by a day in Nature. Check out the line up and use code FTF15 to get 15% discount on tickets here.
> In Focus
Product Carbon Footprint, for brands and consumers
by Indira Ardiyatna
There is an emerging trend in consumers’ interest in carbon footprint data. Studies show that consumers are more likely to buy from brands who are transparent about their supply chain data, and one in six customers believe that measurable carbon footprint data is a core part of what makes a product or service sustainable. This factor of carbon footprint data availability is slowly affecting their purchase decision.
Given that you are here (and keeping tabs on the exemplary brands we highlight on our Thursday’s Check Out), you may be one of them. Or are you a brand owner, who is looking at ways to engage with your sustainability-curious consumers?
Whether you are a consumer or producer, both sides need to understand assessment methods that calculate a product’s environmental impact. For brands, it means identifying opportunities to reduce the company’s scope 3 emissions and providing customers with clear, accurate information about their product’s carbon impact. For consumers, it allows them to make more informed choices.
One of the assessment methods is Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). Let’s dig in!
What exactly does it mean?
A product carbon footprint is the calculation of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated in the supply chain of a specific product. Every calculation will have a specific scope or boundary. If the scope is cradle-to-gate, it measures the emission from upstream activities, such as the extraction of raw material up to and including the product’s manufacturing (ending at the factory gate). However, if the scope is cradle-to-grave, it is calculated including the downstream activities, such as delivery to customers and disposal of goods.
Wait… how does this differ from life cycle assessments (LCA)?
The calculation of PCF is based on LCA methodology. While LCA looks at several environmental impacts like land use, water consumption and ozone depletion, PCF puts an emphasis on product level and environmental impact category of GHG emissions. This enables us to be more focussed on identifying the biggest source of carbon emissions in the product supply chain and developing strategies to reduce this impact.
This is also an important thing to consider: when comparing two products that use a different system boundary or method, it will result in a different figure. One product may measure it with an LCA that includes a cradle-to-grave approach, while one similar product measures it with PCF of only cradle-to-gate. And that does not mean one product is definitely better than the other solely because it has a smaller number.
What do I need to do?
Let’s look at some elements you will need to consider to get started with your PCF:
Get the right (and accurate) activity data of your product. Some key questions can be material types and where they are sourced, energy and resources consumed during production, transport modes and end-of-life treatment. Engaging with your supply chain players is key to getting this data.
Use a structured framework guide, e.g. the PACT methodology. This streamlined methodology by the Partnership for Carbon Transparency can help guide you throughout the process. It is important to ensure that you are calculating the impact the right way, including using the relevant emission factors in the calculation.
Get expertise from partners in our MEASURE database. We have rounded up an extensive list of great companies that can help you on this journey. Using the ‘Product Carbon Footprint’ filter on the ‘Services’ column, you can find various consultancy partners or digital tools that can help you with PCF. See complete list here.
What’s next after knowing my PCF?
If you are using the PCF to help shape your Net Zero strategy then you can get straight to work identifying opportunities reduce emissions at different stages of your product’s lifecycle, e.g. using alternative input materials or working with suppliers to reduce energy use and/or move to renewable energy.
If you want to make public claims then the result of this PCF is then communicated to consumers. Some of our MEASURE partners can convert the results into a rating scale that is easy to understand, like Foodsteps, Klimato and My Emissions to name a few. With so many sustainability claims out there with phrases like ‘carbon neutral’ or ‘reduced carbon emissions’, it is important to make sure the statements are substantiated by verified and accurate data.
For brand owners, having a PCF of your product can help you support your sustainability claims and adhere to the Green Claims Code and avoid greenwashing. Making claims without any evidence can damage a brand's reputation and violate consumer protection laws. On the other hand, for customers, understanding this assessment means it can help us be more wary of vague terms or claims, ensuring that we also check for supporting information before making any purchase decisions.
> Follow up with…
> Last week in consumer goods x climate…
The Good(s) News
»Challenger brands
🎯 The Uncommon published their first impact report, highlighting achievements such as transitioning to fully organic fertilizer, cutting winery water usage by 40% compared to the previous year, and reducing transport miles by 200 by relocating their canning line. Their most notable achievement was measuring their wine’s environmental impact, which revealed an 86% lower climate footprint compared to bottled wine.
🎯 The British Snack Co. earned a Gold Award at The Grocer’s New Product and Packaging Awards 2024 for their recyclable crisp packet. Developed with hydropol by EvoPak, this industry-first packet is kerbside recyclable, allowing consumers to dispose of it in regular domestic recycling bins.
🎯 Innocent Drinks partnered with Co-op and Alexandra Rose Charity to support low-income families with fresh produce. Until November 19, 2024, the company will donate £0.24 for every Mango & Passionfruit or Strawberry & Banana smoothie sold, with a goal of providing over 520,000 portions of fruit and vegetables through the Rose Vouchers for Fruit and Veg Project.
»Bigger organisations
⭐️ Aldi UK teamed up with Toast Brewing and Freedom Brewery to create two beers, Another Round and The Misfits, made from surplus bread and "wonky" fruit. This initiative aims to tackle the retailer’s food waste.
⭐️ Goodwill and Reju, in collaboration with waste management company WM, launched a project to develop a textile collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling system across North America. Goodwill and WM will oversee collection and sorting, while Reju will convert unsellable textiles into low-carbon Reju Polyester, with plans to scale U.S. production by 2028.
⭐️ Levi Strauss & Co. released its first climate transition plan, committing to net-zero emissions across its supply chain by 2050. The company aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% by 2025 (compared to a 2016 baseline) and Scope 3 emissions by 42% by 2030 (compared to a 2022 baseline). Levi’s also pledged to use 100% renewable electricity in all facilities by 2025 and reduce freshwater use in high-stress areas by 50%.
»Industry wins
⚡️ Textile Exchange released their Materials Matter Standard uniting materials under one framework to address biodiversity, soil health, waste reduction, and transparency in the textile industry. The standard sets criteria for the production and processing of raw materials like wool, down, skins and synthetics, in the textile and fashion industries. Their pilot criteria, released in June 2024, allowed stakeholders to test the criteria along their supply chain and refining of the standard.
⚡️ A new 10-megawatt gas-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire has been built to capture carbon dioxide to repurpose it for food-grade uses like carbonating drinks, reducing emissions that would otherwise contribute to climate change. The privately funded £40m plant uses modular technology to provide renewable energy support during fluctuations, earn carbon credits, and promote a circular economy by supplying power to 10,000 homes while generating a valuable by-product.
Want good news sooner? We post our top 5 stories in our LinkedIn newsletter every Friday! If your CPG brand has good news to share, let us know.👇
> In case you missed it
Want more? Here’s what’s happening across FTF at the moment…
We are busy busy preparing for our next event in London. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on the location and theme very soon!
We featured Wasted in our latest Brand Spotlight in last week’s The Check Out. Catch up to learn how they are turning leftover bread into pasta.
Want more? Hang tight for ‘The Check-Out’ this Thursday for the latest brands in our basket. In the meantime, if you have any topics that you would like us to dig into, ping us an email on info@followingthefootprints.com to say hi!
Much love,
Team FTF