Product Carbon Footprint

This guide explains what a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is, the standards that govern it, and how to calculate one. It is intended for sustainability managers, PCF practitioners, and product teams who need to produce or review product-level emission calculations.

What is a Product Carbon Footprint?

A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) represents the total greenhouse gas emissions generated by a product throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transportation, use, and end-of-life. All emissions are aggregated and expressed in CO2 equivalent (CO2e) to provide a single, comparable metric.

Why it matters

A PCF serves multiple purposes. Internally, it identifies which stages of a product’s life cycle and which materials or process drive the most emissions, enabling targeted reduction efforts and better design decisions. Externally, it supports competitive positioning in Request For Proposal (RFP) or Request For Quotation (RFQ) processes (referred to as RFx processes), regulatory compliance (such as CSRD scope 3 reporting or Digital Product Passports (DPP)), and transparency towards customers and investors who increasingly require product-level carbon data.

Who does it matter to

PCFs matter for two groups. Manufacturers of industrial materials, components, and consumer goods are increasingly receiving PCF requests from large buyers with CSRD obligations and SBTi targets. Not being able to provide a PCF when asked is becoming a commercial risk in RFx RFP/RFQ processes and supplier evaluations. Sustainability platforms and ESG software providers need to embed PCF capabilities into their products as their customers face scope 3, DPP, and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) requirements. In both cases, the pressure flows top-down: regulation drives large enterprises to require product-level carbon data from their supply chain, creating cascading demand for fast, reliable, standards-aligned PCFs at scale.

PCF vs. Corporate Carbon Footprint

A corporate carbon footprint (CCF) measures the emissions of an organization’s operations, divided into Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (value chain). A PCF measures the emissions tied to a specific product across its life cycle. The two are complementary: suppliers can provide PCFs that feed directly into a buyer’s Scope 3 calculations.

Standards and Frameworks

Three standards form the primary framework for PCF calculations:

Together, these ensure that PCF results are consistent and scientifically robust.

Related frameworks

PACT (Partnership for Carbon Transparency, led by WBCSD) standardizes how PCF results are shared between companies and gives methodology guidelines to calculate PCFs. In practice, when your customer asks for a PCF, they need to be able to trust and use the data you send them without having to redo the calculations or reconcile different formats. PACT defines a common structure for PCF data, including what fields must be included, how data quality is reported, and what format the results should be in, so that a PCF produced by one organization can be received and used by another directly.

EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations, governed by ISO 14025) are standardized documents that communicate the environmental impact of a product based on LCA results. A PCF calculated under ISO 14067 can serve as an input to an EPD, but an EPD goes further by covering additional impact categories beyond climate change (energy, water, waste, etc.). For organizations primarily focused on carbon, a PCF is often the right starting point before deciding whether a full EPD is needed. EN 15804, for example, is an EPD standard for construction products.

Key Concepts

Ingoing and outgoing flows

Ingoing flows are all inputs entering the system: raw materials, energy, water, and substances consumed during the life cycle. Outgoing flows are all outputs leaving the system: finished products, by-products, waste, emissions to air and water, and scrap. Mapping these flows accurately is the foundation of the life cycle inventory (LCI), the quantitative dataset that feeds the emission calculations.

Bill of Materials (BOM)

A Bill of Materials is a structured list of all components, sub-assemblies, raw materials, and their quantities that make up a finished product. In a PCF, the BOM is the primary input: each line item is mapped to an emission factor, and manufacturing process data (electricity, heat, fuel, direct process emissions) is layered on top. The BOM is typically the starting point for any PCF study.

Emission factor selection

Selecting the right emission factor for each material, process, or transport leg in a BOM is one of the most time-consuming parts of a PCF. It requires knowledge of the underlying data sources, the right geographical and temporal scope, and an understanding of which lifecycle boundaries are included in each factor. Getting this wrong can significantly distort results. To accelerate this step, our Mapping Agent uses AI to automatically match BOM line items to the most relevant emission factors in our database, handling ambiguous descriptions and multiple languages while maintaining full transparency and the ability to review or override any match.

The majority of emission factors in the Climatiq database are not calculated according to ISO 14067 and treat biogenic carbon dioxide emissions as neutral, which is the default treatment under most corporate and lifecycle standards. If you want to report under the ISO 14067 approach that includes gross biogenic emissions and removals then you need to ensure you only use emission factors that are calculated using the ISO 14067 (or EN 15804) standards. See the data sources pages in the Data Explorer . Conversely, if you want to use the “neutral” approach then do not use emission factors from sources that follow ISO 14067 or EN 15804. You should not combine emission factors that follow different standards.

Biogenic carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels in the “energy” part of the PCF tool are treated as neutral in line with common practice. You may need to add these emissions to your total if you want to report under ISO 14067; please refer to the ISO standard and any supporting methodologies for further guidance.

Note that it is critical to check that the emission factors selected follow the most appropriate methodology.

Primary vs. secondary data

Primary data is measured or calculated directly from a specific process or supplier: actual energy readings from a factory, a supplier-provided PCF, or measured transport distances. If you have access to primary data, you should upload it as emission factors through our Private Emission Factor endpoint. Secondary data is generic data drawn from databases (databases offered by Climatiq). These are often industry averages, such as an emission factor for average steel production in Europe.

Primary data yields more accurate PCFs but is harder and more costly to collect. Secondary data enables faster, scalable calculations with broader uncertainty. In practice, most PCF studies combine both: primary data where it matters most and is available, secondary data filling the gaps. The goal is to progressively replace secondary data with primary data over time, starting with the highest-impact components.

Life Cycle Phases

A PCF is structured across the key phases of a product’s life cycle. Each phase is calculated and reported separately, giving a clear breakdown of where emissions come from.

Raw Materials and Components

Emissions from the production of each input raw material or sub-component. This is typically the largest contributor to a product’s footprint and is where the BOM is mapped to emission factors.

Transportation

Emissions from moving components or raw materials to the manufacturing location. This includes upstream transport from suppliers and, for cradle-to-grave studies, downstream distribution to the customer. As of today, our PCF solution is focusing on upstream transportation. Multi-modal routing (road, sea, rail, air) is common for products with global supply chains.

Note that most emission factors are cradle-to-gate and already include transportation between the raw material extraction site and the factory or other gate. These are not usually separated out by the sources of emission factors and are not included in the “transportation” numbers given in the PCF output. However, this omitted secondary transport is typically minor enough to fall below the significance threshold.

Manufacturing

Emissions from the production process itself: electricity, heat, fuel combustion, and direct process emissions (for example, chemical reactions in cement production). This phase uses the manufacturer’s own operational data (primary data) combined with regional electricity emission factors.

Use phase

Emissions generated during the product’s operational life. This can include electricity consumed during operation, consumables used, or maintenance activities. The use phase is only included in cradle-to-grave studies and requires assumptions about product lifetime, usage patterns, and the energy grid where the product is used. These assumptions must be defined through the functional unit.

End-of-life

Emissions from disposal, recycling, or incineration at the end of the product’s life. End-of-life calculations depend on the material composition of the product and the disposal methods typical for the relevant geography.

System Boundaries and Functional Unit

System boundaries

System boundaries define which life cycle phases, processes, and activities are included in or excluded from the assessment. Common boundary choices are:

Clearly stating system boundaries is mandatory under ISO 14067. Comparing PCFs with different system boundaries without accounting for those differences leads to unreliable comparisons.

Please refer to the dataset pages and source documentation for the specific boundaries for each emission factor used in the PCF. Note that some sources and datasets (for example, CBAM) may not include all upstream processes, while some others such as Agribalyse might contain emissions at the consumption and retail stage as well. In general, it is important to evaluate the life cycle stage that the emission factor covers to ensure it aligns with your PCF’s boundary requirements.

If you specify a particular emission factor then you must make sure that you also specify the correct LCA stage — see the LCA reference documentation.

The PCF Studio currently only calculates a partial carbon footprint (partial CFP under ISO 14067) from cradle-to-gate, while the PCF API allows to calculate either cradle-to-gate (partial CFP under ISO 14067) or cradle-to-grave PCFs. Use of the PCF API or PCF Studio does not mean that the resulting PCF meets the boundary requirements of the PCF standards.

Functional unit

The functional unit is the quantified reference to which all inputs, outputs, and impacts in a PCF are related. It defines exactly what is being assessed, for example “1 kg of finished aluminum sheet” or “1 smartphone ready for sale.”

The functional unit is the anchor for all calculations and is one of the key steps that makes results comparable between different studies or product alternatives. Without a clearly defined functional unit, comparing PCFs across products or suppliers is meaningless. For cradle-to-grave studies, the functional unit must also define the expected product lifetime and usage pattern.

Data Quality

Data quality ratings

A data quality rating indicates how reliable and representative the emission data used in a PCF is. It evaluates three dimensions:

Each dimension is scored from 1 (best) to 5 (worst). This gives a clear signal of where estimates are solid and where further data collection would improve accuracy. For the GHG Protocol for Products, the data quality statements must be qualitative, however we only provide quantitative numbers, aligned with PACT Pathfinder Framework. For GHG Protocol for Products compliance, you might need to add additional qualitative statements.

The PCF tool does not cover data quality ratings for emission factors or for data input by the user. These should normally be considered in any overall formal assessment of the final PCFs under the standards. Climatiq includes data quality ratings for some emission factors in the emission factor descriptions available in the Data Explorer  where given by the source. If the description does not include a data quality rating you may need to refer to the source documents to understand any data quality issues given by the source.

Completeness and reliability

The GHGP Product standard includes two additional data quality indicators:

• Completeness: the degree to which the data are statistically representative of the process sites
• Reliability: the degree to which the sources, data collection methods, and verification procedures used to obtain the data are dependable

Climatiq does not include these indicators as they cover data collection processes that are specific to each user and PCF. These indicators should be completed by the user following the GHGP guidance.

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis

A sensitivity analysis tests how much the final PCF result changes when key assumptions or input parameters are varied, for example switching the assumed electricity grid mix or adjusting a transport distance. An uncertainty analysis formally quantifies the reliability of results by evaluating data gaps, variability in input data, and modeling assumptions.

Both are required under ISO 14040/44 for a complete and transparent PCF study. Even if not formally required for every use case, running a sensitivity check on the top 3–5 emission contributors or inputs on which you are not sure about the quantity of materials or energy used is good practice: it tells you where improving data quality would have the most impact on your results.

The emission factors used in the PCFs are also subject to uncertainty and this should be included in uncertainty analysis. Some sources provide confidence intervals that can be found in the source documents. Climatiq provides links to source documents via the Data Explorer .

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard requires “a qualitative statement on sources of inventory uncertainty and methodological choices… which include Use and end-of-life profile, allocation methods (for example, for recycling), GWP values used and calculation models”. Addressing these in turn:

Use: the PCF tool allows users to enter energy consumption or any other emission factor (for example, refrigerant gas release) for the use phase. You will need to consider the uncertainty in the consumption or other data you provide to meet this requirement. Please refer to the note above on uncertainty in emission factors.

End-of-life profile: the PCF tool uses a typical/average waste disposal method for the primary materials present in the final product. This includes any processing/sorting and transportation as well as emissions from landfill or incineration as applicable.

Allocation methods: emission factors typically use the cut-off approach whereby only emissions from final recycling processes are incorporated into the new product. The company disposing of the waste is allocated emissions from processing and disposal as above; no credit is given for waste if it is recycled. (Recycled products used as inputs may, however, be associated with lower emissions than products made from virgin materials.)

GWP values: all GWP values are GWP-100 and come from the IPCC Assessment Reports. The Assessment Report number (usually AR5 or AR6) is given in the PCF output. You may also refer to the emission factor pages in the Data Explorer  to determine the AR version of a particular emission factor.

Calculation models: The exact calculation models used vary from source to source. Typically they will follow a model permitted by a corporate or lifecycle standard. See the source documentation for detailed methodologies.

Calculating a PCF with Climatiq

PCF Studio

PCF Studio is our tool for calculating product carbon footprints in minutes. It guides you through each step: importing a Bill of Materials, mapping materials to emission factors, and calculating results with a full audit trail. PCF Studio is built on our PCF API and is aligned with GHG Protocol, ISO 14067, and PACT. See the PCF Studio guide for more information.

Note that a PCF created in PCF Studio or the PCF API will not fully meet any PCF standard without additional calculations and documentation from the user. See the relevant sections of this document and refer to the underlying standards for the requirements.

Closing the gap to a fully ISO 14067 and GHG Protocol-compliant PCF

Climatiq’s PCF provides the calculation engine and a full audit trail that meet the quantification requirements within the partial audit scope. To turn the generated PCF into a certifiable one, you are responsible for defining the study and supplying the documentation that lives outside the tool. The main gaps to fill:

• Goal and scope — State the intended application, audience and any intended comparison/communication; define the product, functional (or declared) unit and reference flow; fix the system boundary (cradle-to-grave vs cradle-to-gate), plus the geographical and time boundaries; and document all assumptions, especially for the use and end-of-life stages (if using the Climatiq API).
• Methodology rules — Adopt any relevant Product Category Rules (PCR/CFP-PCR) or sector-specific guidance, and make sure your inputs follow them.
• Data — Provide primary/site-specific data for processes under your operational or financial control, justify and document any secondary data, and confirm the selected emission factors meet your needs (land-use change, biogenic vs fossil treatment) using the source-methodology links Climatiq surfaces.
• Allocation — Climatiq performs none. You must allocate inputs/outputs across co-products yourself and disclose and justify the method.
• Data quality and uncertainty — Climatiq provides quantitative (PACT) DQR scores; you must add the qualitative data-quality and uncertainty statements and describe your methodological choices.
• Reporting — Compile the CFP study/inventory report with all required disclosures: process map, excluded processes with justification, time period, GWP source, results by life-cycle stage, etc.
• Assurance — Obtain independent first- or third-party assurance and include the assurance statement; this is entirely outside Climatiq.

Note that the output of the PCF API and PCF Studio are aligned with the PCF standards, but do not constitute an entire PCF under the standards which require additional documentation. The user must provide this additional documentation as it covers data collection, system boundaries, analysis and limitations that are outside of the scope of the API and Studio.

Mapping Agent

When you input component names or material descriptions from a BOM, Mapping Agent automatically matches each item to the most relevant emission factor in our database. It works across languages, handles ambiguous or incomplete descriptions, and provides transparent, adjustable results. You can review and override any match.

What PCF Studio calculates

PCF Studio structures calculations across the key life cycle phases: components, transportation, manufacturing (electricity, heat, fuel, direct process emissions), and soon, use phase, and end-of-life. Each phase is reported separately, and every calculation comes with a full audit trail so results can withstand regulatory and customer scrutiny.

Multi-country supply chains

For products with components sourced from multiple suppliers or regions, we use weighted average emissions that incorporate the appropriate geographical emission factors. Transport emissions are calculated using our GLEC-accredited Freight feature, which constructs intermodal routes and selects logistics hubs automatically based on origin and destination.

Handling data gaps

When primary data is not available for a given component or process, PCF Studio provides transparent secondary-data estimates drawn from our database. The data quality rating flags exactly where these estimates are used, so you always know the reliability of each part of your calculation. You can override any estimate with your own primary data at any time to progressively improve accuracy.

It is always important to review the assumptions and results carefully before using a PCF in an audit or formal disclosure context. A PCF is only as strong as the data and review behind it.

Built on our PCF API

PCF Studio is the user-facing interface, but under the hood it is powered by our PCF API. The API is available for developers and platform partners who want to integrate PCF calculations directly into their own software, ERP systems, or sustainability tools. It exposes the same calculation logic, emission factor matching, audit trail, and data quality scoring that PCF Studio uses, and can be called programmatically for batch processing or automated workflows. For teams building PCF capabilities into their own products, the API provides a fully documented, standards-aligned calculation engine without the need to build or maintain one internally.

Versioning

Every calculation in PCF Studio is versioned using a dedicated product_id and version_id, making it straightforward to track changes over time, compare versions, and maintain a clear audit trail as your PCF matures.

For technical documentation, see the PCF API reference.

Using and Communicating PCF Results

Driving emission reductions

Once you have a PCF broken down by life cycle phase and material, you can see which life cycle phase or specific material/component drives the most emissions. This makes it possible to prioritize reduction efforts where they will have the greatest impact, whether that means switching to a lower-carbon material, changing a supplier, or redesigning a component. It also helps avoid decisions that simply shift emissions from one phase to another without reducing the overall total.

External communication

Communication of PCF results must follow the relevant standards to avoid miscommunication. ISO 14067 specifies what must be disclosed: the functional unit, system boundaries, data sources, and methodology used. ISO 14025 governs EPDs. ISO 14020/14021 provides general environmental labeling principles to ensure claims are accurate and not misleading. Getting the communication right matters as much as getting the calculation right.

Regulatory use

Because our calculations are aligned with GHG Protocol and ISO 14067, include a full audit trail, and carry data quality ratings, they are suitable for regulatory requirements but will need a review and additional documentation by the user (such as CSRD scope 3 and Digital Product Passport) and for responding to customer RFx requests that require product-level emission data. The methodology transparency also supports third-party verification when needed.

When to recalculate

A PCF should be updated whenever there is a significant change to the product (new materials, new suppliers, redesign), the production process (new machinery, new energy sources), or the data context (updated emission factors, revised standards). Annual recalculation is a reasonable default for commercially active products, particularly as primary data from suppliers becomes progressively available to replace secondary estimates.

For more on how we handle emission factor data, see our database overview guide and Methodology Hub . To get started with PCF calculations, visit PCF Studio or contact us .

Methodology FAQ