In 2020, President Xi Jinping formally announced that China would strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. China’s commitment has greatly raised global attention to climate change. Amid the global trend of low‑carbon concepts, the term “carbon footprint” has attracted considerable attention. It is an indicator representing greenhouse‑gas emissions, which was introduced by research institutions when identifying and assessing product carbon emissions. Internationally, governments and relevant institutions of various countries have carried out research on carbon‑footprint assessment methodologies and successively formulated carbon‑footprint assessment standards or specifications. On the basis of carbon‑footprint assessment, carbon‑footprint certification has also been continuously developing.
What is Carbon Footprint
It generally refers to various greenhouse‑gas (GHG) emissions of a given product throughout its whole life cycle, namely GHG emissions from raw materials through production (or service provision), distribution, use, and disposal/recycling. Product carbon‑footprint accounting covers six types of greenhouse gases required for emission reduction under the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆).
Overview of ISO 14067 Product Carbon Footprint Verification Service
In August 2018, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issued ISO 14067:2018 Greenhouse gases — Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification. This standard supersedes the technical specification ISO/TS 14067:2013 and was elevated to the status of a full International Standard. ISO 14067:2018 is an internationally‑recognized ISO standard for quantifying product carbon footprints. It specifies principles, requirements and guidelines for quantifying and reporting the Product Carbon Footprint (CFP), consistent with international Life‑Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. It provides unified specifications for the business community to evaluate product carbon emissions and serves as an effective tool to promote the assessment of green goods or services.
