We offer a total solution for your carbon footprint and LCA projects from initial assessment of your requirements, setting of the scope and boundaries of the study, data collection, carbon footprint or LCA calculation, identification of “hot-spots”, the introduction of a carbon improvement programme and dissemination to stakeholders.
Product Carbon Footprinting
Organisational Carbon Footprinting
PAS 2050
LCA of products and services
We have an enviable track record of assisting high profile clients such as Marks and Spencer, the Co-op and Balfour Beatty within a wide range of industry areas; retail, food, agriculture, chemicals, manufacturing and construction.
Our depth of experience enables us to deliver carbon footprints and complex LCAs for the full life cycle of products with “cradle to grave” assessment of multiple environmental impacts.
Carbon footprinting is the process of measuring, calculating and reporting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a product or service. Although the description implies just carbon, a range of additional GHGs are reported such as methane, PFCs, HFCs, nitrous oxide and sulphur hexafluoride. The report can be a precursor for carbon labelling certification, environmental declarations and the setting of a baseline for a carbon reduction programme.
Sustain have worked with The Co-operative Food as part of the pilot study for PAS 2050 to undertake a carbon footprint of the two strawberry varieties sold at The Co-operative - Scottish and Spanish strawberries. To view a synopsis of the results click here.
Organisational Carbon Footprinting
Organisational carbon footprinting quantifies the GHG emissions for the activities of a company or organisation based on three categories as defined by the GHG Protocol:
- Scope 1 – direct emissions from sources owned by the business or within its organisational boundary (e.g. gas for heating space)
- Scope 2 – indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity and energy brought into the organisation for use
- Scope 3 – other indirect emissions (e.g. employee and business travel)
All footprint studies are conducted within the standards laid down by ISO 14064 (parts 1-3), the GHG Protocol and Defra Guidelines for subsequent verification by a 3rd party organisation.
PAS 2050
The long awaited PAS 2050 (Publicly Available Specification) was launched on the 29th October 2008. This builds on the existing life cycle assessment standards ISO 14040 and 14044.
The aim is to provide a common approach such that the carbon footprint of products and services is conducted on a consistent basis and provides transparency and effective comparison as a basis for decision making within the supply chain and for the consumer.
Sustain has been working on projects that have followed the draft principles embodied within PAS 2050 in cooperation with the Carbon Trust and the Carbon Trust Labelling Company. As a result Sustain is well positioned to advise organisations on the implications of the PAS 2050 standard and how it relates to existing and emerging standards.
We have written a briefing document on PAS 2050 and if you would like to receive a copy of this automatically please email us.
LCA is a long standing measurement and evaluation tool that assesses the impact of a product or service across a wide range of environmental issues such as global warming, acidification, human toxicity, water impacts, eutrophication and ecotoxicity. This is done over the full life cycle of that product from raw material extraction, transport, manufacture, use and disposal. Often involving the collection of complex datasets, close analysis and interpretation of results, LCA provides the opportunity to examine processes in great detail in order to maximise the opportunity to design out and reduce waste across the life cycle.
Sustain provides the following services:
- Full LCA using specialising software
- Streamlined LCA assessment