Carbon Footprint

Determining a Product’s Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint accounts for the total emissions associated with the raw materials, transportation, manufacturing, use and disposal of a product. Energy is used in every step of the process, and that energy is generally created by burning something: coal, natural gas, or oil. Adding up the carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of these fuels at each step yields the carbon footprint for the product (for some products, other greenhouse gases are also considered). Carbonfund.org has developed a protocol that all products will be required to meet in order to qualify for certification as CarbonFree™.

The Protocol

The CarbonFree™ Product Certification Protocol has been developed in consultation with the Edinburgh Center for Carbon Management, one of the leading carbon consultancies in the world, and is based on a number of pilot studies completed by Carbonfund.org working with participating businesses. The methodology has also been reviewed by the Green Design Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. The methodology aims to be both analytically rigorous and practical for business to apply.

The protocol provides a consistent methodology that can be applied by independent third parties for determining the lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions associated with creating a product. Only products that are evaluated using this Protocol will be eligible for certification as CarbonFree™.

Version 2.0 of the protocol will be available this summer.

To learn more about becoming a preferred CarbonFree™; LCA provider, please contact us at .

Technical Advisory Group

Carbonfund.org is establishing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to provide ongoing review and support of the protocol and program. The TAG will advise on both scientific and implementation issues, and is chaired by Dr. H. Scott Matthews, Research Director of the Green Design Institute of the Carnegie Mellon University. Member bios of the TAG will be posted Monday April 14, 2008.

Download the Protocol