LCA and Product Carbon Footprint: Differences and Similarities

LCA and Product Carbon Footprint: Differences and Similarities

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), in our language known as 'Life Cycle Analysis', is a type of analysis that comprehensively examines the environmental impacts of any product or service. Product carbon footprint (PCF) is defined, as the name suggests, as a detailed analysis of the carbon footprint left by a product or service in the environment.

When we look at the brief definitions of these two concepts, one might ask, "Isn't PCF included within LCA?" The answer to this question is "partially yes".

PCF originates from the LCA concept in terms of both standards and content. However, these two concepts, which are very similar as processes, also have some sharp differences.

In this article, we will explain these two similar yet quite different concepts, focusing on their similarities and differences.

What is LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)?

LCA, as a concept, is a detailed analysis that reveals the environmental impacts of a product or service from cradle to grave. In other words, it is a detailed, metric examination of the negative effects a product or service has on the environment at all stages from raw material to disposal/recycling.

The life cycle of the products examined within LCA is handled in 5 different stages:

1. Raw Material Acquisition

2. Production & Processing

3. Transportation & Logistics

4. Use

5. Waste Disposal & Recycling

When preparing LCA, these 5 stages are evaluated comprehensively in various categories. These categories are entirely different fields and are expressed with various units.

• Climate Change (Global Warming Potential - GWP)

• Acidification Potential

• Eutrophication Potential

• Photochemical Ozone Formation (POCP)

• Effects on Human Health

These are the most popular categories and are at the core of most LCA studies.

LCA should actually be defined as a concept. However, to be declared to stakeholders and authorities, it is necessary to comply with international standards. The standards to be followed when preparing LCA are ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. In other words, we can refer to ISO 14044 as the 'LCA rulebook'.

ISO 14040/44 Standards

The ISO 14040 standards were published in 1997 under the code ISO 14040:1997, as understood from its name. This standard remained valid until 2006 as the first standard to define LCA. Later, in 2006, due to the increase in complexity of standardization proportional to the difficulty of the LCA process, the ISO technical committee divided ISO 14040 standards into two different standards.

• ISO 14040:2006 - Principles and Framework

• ISO 14044:2006 - Requirements and Guidelines

This version of ISO 14040 presents a draft for LCA studies and the principles that need to be optimized throughout the entire process.

What is Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)?

The product carbon footprint (PCF), similar to LCA, considers the entire life of a product from cradle to grave. In this context, it focuses on the same area as GWP categories in LCA. The product carbon footprint analyzes the carbon footprint of all processes throughout the life cycle of a product or service, just like GWP in LCA.

In this context, although the product carbon footprint is close to GWP LCA studies, it is not the same. The product carbon footprint is a more detailed analysis of carbon footprint compared to GWP LCA. 

In other words, every product carbon footprint study is a GWP LCA; however, not every GWP LCA is a product carbon footprint study.

Just as ISO 14040/44 standards are taken as a basis for LCA calculations, product carbon footprint calculations are prepared within the framework of ISO 14067 standards.

ISO 14067 Standards

The ISO 14067 standards provide a framework for calculating and reporting product carbon footprints. They were first organized based on the ISO 14040:2006 standards in 2013. Later, in 2018, they were revised to take on the ISO 14067:2018 form used today.

The ISO 14067 standards are LCA-based and solely focus on carbon footprints. In other words, we can say that ISO 14067 is a modified version of ISO 14040/44, specifically developed for calculating the carbon footprints of products, especially modified in terms of combating climate change.

LCA and Product Carbon Footprint: Areas of Application

In the previous sections, we discussed LCA and product carbon footprints. To summarize the differences between these two concepts, which have apparent similarities; we can say that LCA examines the environmental impacts of a product or service in many different categories, while the product carbon footprint analyzes only the greenhouse gas emissions of a product or service, in a deeper manner compared to LCA.

Naturally, this close relationship between LCA and product carbon footprint raises an important question: "What purpose does each study serve?"

Areas of Use for LCA

LCA studies are preferred by institutions or organizations that want to look at the bigger picture with the impact categories involved. Due to its comprehensive structure mentioned above, LCA is actively used in various fields.

• Product Development and Design: Can serve as a resource for R&D studies for product and process improvements.

• Corporate Sustainability: Can be used in areas such as portfolio analysis and risk management.

• Environmental Declarations: Required in declarations such as EPD (Environmental Product Declaration).

• Policy Setting: Can be used to set public or corporate environmental standards.

• Academic and Technical Research: Can be used in various studies for universities or research institutions.

Areas of Use for Product Carbon Footprint

The product carbon footprint also has various areas of application, due to its narrower scope compared to LCA and its detailed analysis of greenhouse gas emissions of products.

• Carbon Labeling: Can be applied for consumer information and brand reliability.

• Regulations: Helps with compliance to regulations such as CBAM or carbon tax.

• Carbon Neutral Product Declarations: Used in various product-based declarations.

• Supply Chain Management: Serves as a data source for determining the greenhouse gas effects of various raw material procurements and transport operations.

• Carbon Reporting: Contribution to platforms like CDP.

LCA and Product Carbon Footprint: Summary

LCA seeks to answer the question of "how can this product be produced more sustainably" through multifaceted and detailed environmental analysis.

The product carbon footprint, on the other hand, provides an answer to the question, "how much greenhouse gas emissions does this product cause during production and how do I document it" with a focused study solely in the carbon footprint area.

For more detailed information about LCA and product carbon footprints, visit CarbonSmart !