| Feature | Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) | Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Focuses specifically on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. | Considers a broader range of environmental impacts beyond carbon. |
| Metrics | Expressed as a single value (e.g., kg CO2e). | Covers multiple impact categories (e.g., climate change, water use, resource depletion). |
| Life Cycle Stages | Can be partial (e.g., cradle-to-gate) or full (cradle-to-grave). | Typically a full life cycle assessment from raw material extraction to disposal (cradle-to-grave). |
| Data Sources | Often relies on secondary data, industry averages, or emissions databases. | Requires detailed and specific primary data for each stage of the life cycle. |
| Complexity | Simpler, requires less data, and is quicker to perform. | More complex, time-consuming, and requires extensive data collection. |
| Standards | Governed by ISO 14067. | Follows ISO 14040/44 for methodology and framework. |
| Purpose | Helps quantify and communicate a product’s carbon footprint to stakeholders. | Provides a comprehensive environmental assessment for sustainability improvements. |
| Applications | Used for carbon labeling, footprint reduction strategies, and corporate sustainability reporting. | Applied in eco-design, product optimization, regulatory compliance, and policy-making. |
| Outputs | A single value representing carbon emissions impact. | A detailed life cycle inventory of environmental impacts across various categories. |
| Cost & Effort | Lower cost and effort due to its focus on carbon only. | Higher cost and effort as it involves broader environmental factors and in-depth analysis. |
| Unravel Carbon’s Product Level Emission Calculation (Supplier engagement) | Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) | Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Cradle-to-gate only | Cradle-to-gate/grave | Cradle-to-gate/grave |
| Inputs required | PCF per item from supplier, Supplier Scope 1/2 data, Weight of item produced, quantity produced, etc. | Inputs from processes within the system boundaries of producing a product | Inputs from processes within the system boundaries of producing a product |
| Indicators assessed | GHG Emissions | GHG Emissions | Several across environmental impacts, resource use, waste and outputs, including CO2e emissions |
| Relevant standards | GHG Protocol | ISO 14040/44, ISO 14025 | ISO 14040/44, ISO 14067, PAS 2050, GHG Product Life Cycle Standard |
| Use cases | Downstream customers' GHG inventories |
Estimated emissions per unit produced (kgCO2e/item) to influence item-level purchasing decisions | Externally published PCF data, reports or labels, with outputs on impacts relating to greenhouse gas emissions | Externally published Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), with outputs on emissions, air, water, soil, waste, etc. | | Activity data collected | ✔ Activity data for calculation of Scope 1/2 emissions | ✔ ? | ✔ ? | | Collection production data | ✔ Emissions related output | ✔ | ✔ | | Calculate GHG impact | - | ✔ | ✔ | | Calculate Environment impact | ✔ Supplier can indicate % of production attribution | ✔ | ✔ | | Allocation factors | Assumes generally that the Scope 1 & 2 emissions from factory is evenly allocated to each product produced. Does not include primary data from supplier to dive deep into materials purchased, breakdown of processes for specific products. | ✔ | ✔ | | Setting of systems boundary | Data captured does not currently meet all the core requirements (e.g. on documenting scope of study, limitations of data source, data quality processes, allocation processes) for certification. | More detailed coverage of production process which includes primary data and assumptions made on materials sourced, details on processes and their energy consumption to produce the specific product. | More detailed coverage of production process which includes primary data and assumptions made on materials sourced, details on processes and their energy consumption to produce the specific product. | | Third-party review and certification | - (Our calculations are meant to support internal decision making) | Meets core requirements by ISO14067, PAS2050. | Meets core requirements by ISO14067, PAS2050. | | External publication | | ✔ (Post certification) | ✔ (Post certification) | | | | | |
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