Product carbon footprint for a group of industrial products
We went from plant data to a result per kilo of product. We shared the plant’s data by product mass. We used data on energy, fuels, materials, packaging and waste.
A metals manufacturer needed the carbon footprint of one product group. It had production and environmental data for the whole plant. But it needed a result for one specific group of products.
Such a result is needed in B2B talks, in answers to customers and when you compare products. A product carbon footprint needs a different approach than a company footprint.
We used physical allocation. This means that we shared the plant’s use of energy and materials, and its emissions, in proportion to the mass of the product group.
So the result was not a general figure for the plant. It was product information that the client can use in talks with customers.
For some parts, we used supplier data. For industrial products, supplier data can give a much better result than general factors alone.
How we ran the project
Product and unit of reference
We agreed which product group to measure and how to present the result.
Input data
Electricity, fuels, selected materials, packaging, waste and other flows that the model needs.
Physical allocation
We assigned the plant’s use of energy and materials to the product in proportion to production volume or product mass.
Emission factors
Where we could, we used supplier data. In other cases, we chose factors from databases or reference sources.
Product footprint report
The report set out the data sources, the data quality, how we shared the data and the product footprint result.
The client got a product carbon footprint report. It can use it to answer customers, in sales talks and in later product work.
Company data is a good place to start. But in talks about products, what counts is a result for one product. If you share the data well, plant figures become facts that the end customer understands.
Are your customers asking about your product carbon footprint?
Let’s talk. We will suggest the scope of the analysis, the allocation method and the data you need.