SUSTAINABILITY
Product Carbon Footprint, PAS 2050
About Product Carbon Footprint, PAS 2050
Prepared by BSI British Standards, co-sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), PAS 2050 provides a standard method for assessing a product carbon footprint.
PAS 2050 identifies main sources of emissions, drives innovations in reducing energy and raw materials consumption, demonstrating transparency of environmental impact from the operations of an organisation.
PAS 2050 assesses the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions of products, including both goods and services. PAS 2050 specifies requirements for the assessment of the life-cycle GHG emissions of products. The life-cycle GHG emissions are GHG emissions released during production, transportation, storage, distribution and use and disposal or recycle of products. GHG emissions are expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), or its equivalent of other GHGs emitted (CO2e).
A product carbon footprint measures the GHG emissions over the whole life of a product, from the extraction of raw materials and manufacturing right through to its use and final re-use, recycling or disposal. Carbon footprint is defined as the total sets of GHG emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person. Carbon footprint computations measure emissions in metric tonnage of CO2e.
Why it matters
With assessment compliance to PAS 2050, organisations can:
- Implement an internal assessment of GHG emissions of its product life-cycle
- Evaluate and optimise product configurations, production, operations and procurement options based on their impacts on the product’s GHG emissions
- Communicate its emission reductions and corporate responsibility reporting using a recognised standardised approach
- Generate greater confidence of its environmental and social responsibility of its products’ GHG emissions and impacts with its customers and businesses.