A carbon footprint, or CO₂ footprint, is a way to measure the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are directly and indirectly emitted by an activity or accumulated over the life cycle of a product. These emissions are usually expressed in equivalents of carbon dioxide (CO₂-eq) and include various gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, all of which contribute to climate change.

The purpose of calculating a carbon footprint is to gain insight into environmental impact and to identify opportunities to reduce these emissions and minimise this impact.

A CO₂ footprint is the sum of all greenhouse gas emissions associated with your company or business activities. An LCA determines the environmental impact of a product, for various environmental impact categories (for example, climate change, land and water use, toxicity, and acidification).

A CO₂ footprint calculation provides insights into the largest emission sources within your organisation, such as energy consumption, air travel, and the procurement of raw materials or products.

The emission sources are divided into scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The CO₂ footprint shows how much CO₂ your organisation and chain emit, and where these emissions come from.

With a CO₂ footprint, you identify the CO₂ emission hotspots and can effectively start working towards emitting fewer greenhouse gases. Usually, the CO₂ insights are shared in a GHG protocol report, to communicate in compliance with legislation such as the CSRD and the CBAM, or at the request of customers and other stakeholders.

Also, with a carbon footprint, you can meet standards and certifications such as Science Based Targets, B-Corp, or Ecovadis.

The time required to create a CO₂ footprint depends on the complexity of your organisation, the availability of data, and the level of detail you want to achieve.

For a basic calculation of scope 1 and 2 emissions, this can take a few weeks. If you also want to include scope 3 emissions and supplier data, the process can take several months.

For a CO₂ footprint calculation, you need data on for example your energy consumption (electricity, gas), transport (fuel, kilometres), buildings (area, insulation), waste management, water use, materials used, and production processes.

In addition, information about business activities (travel, commuting), logistics (suppliers, transport), and CO₂ compensation projects (if applicable) are important.

The GHG protocol is a global guideline on reporting CO₂ emissions. The GHG protocol provides frameworks and standards for the accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and is applied in various sectors, such as governments, companies, and NGOs.

The frameworks include requirements for the design, development, management, reporting, and verification of an organisation's greenhouse gas inventory.

The GHG protocol structures your CO₂ footprint with predetermined emission sources. The resulting GHG inventory is divided into scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 carbon emissions.

‍Scope 1: direct emissions (for example, fuel use).
‍Scope 2: indirect emissions from electricity consumption.
‍Scope 3: other indirect emissions (for example, suppliers, commuting).

This allows you to systematically identify and monitor the emissions of your company and your supply chain.

This depends on your product: in some cases, you find all the data within your own organisation. And in other cases, you have to ask suppliers (of raw materials/semi-finished products) for it. We provide you with a customised datasheet, so you can collect all the necessary data in an organised way.