Planet ArkNational Tree DayRecycling Near YouNational Recycling WeekAluminium Can RecyclingCartridges 4 Planet ArkProducts & SolutionsPaperCutz 4 Planet Ark

The Footprinting Process

Products with Carbon Label © Carbon Trust

Working with Planet Ark and the Carbon Trust's 'Carbon Label Company' will deliver carbon footprint results that will give your company a real advantage in understanding, reducing and communicating your product carbon footprints. Results that are built upon Comparability Rules and data within the Carbon Trust's 'Footprint Expert' system which includes the PAS 2050 specification

Measurement

The Carbon Label Company's measurement process consists of five essential steps:

  1. Building a process map, including setting boundaries, understanding data available and identifying sources/contacts
  2. Collecting primary data from members of the supply chain and collating secondary data
  3. Assessing materiality (an iterative process)
  4. Building the carbon footprint
  5. Certifying the product carbon footprint model (which can require more than one iteration).

Who can do the measurement?

Planet Ark is collating a list of approved consultants who can assist in obtaining the relevant data and building the carbon footprint.

Certification

Certification is the final step in confirming the carbon footprint of a product or service. To ensure global consistency the certification process will be performed by the independent team of the Carbon Label Company. This team is employed to certify your product carbon footprint for compliance to the Carbon Label Company's 'Footprint Expert' comparability rules and standard data including the PAS 2050, the Code of Good Practice. 

Reduction

By looking more closely at the main emissions sources that make up the carbon footprint, it is possible to see where the greatest opportunities lie to reduce it. Your company can then:

  • Run scenario analyses to design new processes, investigate formulation changes and identify ways to reduce the downstream emissions from use and disposal of the product
  • Collaborate with supply chain partners to achieve reductions, and
  • Investigate alternative sources of supply.

Communication

Planet Ark and the Carbon Trust will help you to communicate your product carbon footprint in the most suitable ways, and in accordance with the Code of Good Practice, whether this is on-pack, at point of sale, through websites and brochures, or through other channels. Companies can be creative in how they communicate the information to customers, leveraging the authority and credibility of Planet Ark, the Carbon Trust and the Carbon Reduction Label to the full.

Need to know more about the footprinting process?