Measure, Verify and Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Your Products
Buyers, exporters, and regulators increasingly ask manufacturers for the carbon footprint of the products they supply. Whether it is a customer questionnaire, an export requirement, or an internal reduction target, a credible, standards-based figure is now an expectation rather than a differentiator.
ConsultHive provides Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) consulting to help manufacturers quantify greenhouse gas emissions across the life cycle of a product, prepare a transparent study report, and prepare for independent verification.
Our approach follows ISO 14067 for carbon footprint of products and the life cycle assessment principles of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, with attention to system boundary, functional unit, data quality, allocation, and reporting.
Whether you need a cradle-to-gate footprint for a customer, a full cradle-to-grave study, or a multi-impact LCA to support an environmental claim or declaration, we help establish a structured and defensible approach.
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What Is a Product Carbon Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment?
A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with a product, expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) for a defined unit of the product. ISO 14067 sets out principles, requirements, and guidelines for quantifying and reporting PCFs.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a broader method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product across its life cycle, covering raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, use, and end of life. ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 set the framework and requirements for LCA.
A PCF is, in effect, an LCA that considers only one impact category, climate change. A full LCA can include other categories such as water use, acidification, resource depletion, and eutrophication.
Two terms matter in every study. The functional unit defines what is being measured, for example one kilogram of product or a defined service delivered. The system boundary defines which life cycle stages are included, such as cradle-to-gate, which covers raw materials through to the factory gate, or cradle-to-grave, which includes use and disposal.
ISO 14067 does not cover carbon offsetting or the communication of results to the public. Verification of a PCF study is carried out by an independent verification body, and ConsultHive does not verify studies it has prepared.
Our LCA and Product Carbon Footprint Services
1. Goal and Scope Definition
Define the purpose of the study, the intended audience, the product and its function, the functional unit, the system boundary, and the standards and methodological choices to be followed.
A clear scope at the start avoids rework and makes results comparable and relevant to the request that triggered the study.
2. Process Mapping and Data Collection Planning
Map the processes from raw materials to the end of the chosen boundary and prepare data collection templates for materials, energy, water, transport, packaging, waste, and emissions at your facilities.
We separate primary data from your operations and supplier data from secondary data taken from databases.
3. Life Cycle Inventory
Compile and validate the inventory of inputs and outputs for each process, apply cut-off criteria, and handle allocation between co-products in line with the standard.
4. Greenhouse Gas Impact Calculation
Convert the inventory into CO2e using recognized emission factors and global warming potentials, with specific treatment of electricity, biogenic carbon, and land use change where relevant.
5. Full LCA and Additional Impact Categories
Where required, extend the study to additional environmental impact categories under ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, and carry out interpretation, completeness, sensitivity, and consistency checks.
6. Hotspot Analysis and Reduction Options
Identify the stages, materials, and processes that contribute most to the footprint, and evaluate options such as material substitution, energy efficiency, renewable electricity, logistics changes, and design improvements.
7. Data Quality Assessment and Uncertainty
Assess data quality for time, geography, and technology coverage, completeness, and consistency, and document limitations and uncertainty so that results can be reproduced and reviewed.
8. PCF Study Report Preparation
Prepare a study report documenting the product, functional unit, boundary, data sources, assumptions, allocation, results, and data quality assessment, in a form suitable for verification and customer disclosure.
9. Verification Readiness Support
Support preparation of evidence and responses for an independent verification body, and help close queries raised during verification.
The verification statement is issued by the verification body, not by ConsultHive.
10. Supplier Data Engagement and Training
Support supplier outreach for primary data and train your teams to maintain the data and update the footprint when products, suppliers, or processes change.
Key Benefits of Product Carbon Footprint Assessment
A standards-based PCF gives you reliable numbers for customers and for your own decisions.
• Respond to Customer Requests: Provide credible product-level footprint data to buyers and procurement teams.
• Support Exports: Prepare for markets and customers that expect product carbon data, including carbon border and product regulations.
• Find Reduction Opportunities: Identify the hotspots that offer the largest and cheapest emission reductions.
• Improve Supply Chain Visibility: Understand the contribution of materials, suppliers, and logistics.
• Support Credible Claims: Base environmental statements on transparent and verifiable calculations.
• Inform Design Decisions: Compare product alternatives using a consistent method.
• Support Corporate Reporting: Link product data with your organization-level greenhouse gas inventory.
Life Cycle Stages and Areas Covered
A PCF or LCA study may examine the following life cycle stages, depending on the agreed system boundary.
| Life Cycle Stage | Key Assessment Focus |
| Raw material acquisition | Extraction, farming, or production of materials and components, and their transport to the factory |
| Manufacturing | Electricity, fuels, process emissions, water, waste, and on-site operations |
| Packaging | Primary, secondary, and transport packaging materials and their production |
| Distribution | Transport modes, distances, storage, and retail where included |
| Use phase | Energy, consumables, and maintenance during use, where included in the boundary |
| End of life | Collection, recycling, recovery, incineration, and landfill, where included |
| Biogenic carbon and land use | Treatment of biogenic carbon storage and emissions and land use change |
| Electricity and energy | Grid and renewable electricity treatment, and on-site generation |
The actual boundary and stages depend on the product, the purpose of the study, and the customer or programme requirements.
Our LCA and PCF Process
Step 1: Initial Consultation and Scoping
Understand the product, the request behind the study, the intended use of results, and any customer or programme requirements. Agree the scope and timeline.
Step 2: Goal, Scope and Boundary Definition
Define the functional unit, system boundary, methodological choices, and data requirements.
Step 3: Data Collection
Collect primary data from your facilities and suppliers using structured templates and select secondary data where primary data is not available.
Step 4: Inventory and Calculation
Build the inventory model, apply allocation and cut-off rules, and calculate the footprint.
Step 5: Interpretation and Hotspot Analysis
Review results, test their sensitivity to assumptions, identify hotspots, and discuss reduction options.
Step 6: Report Preparation
Prepare the study report with the content required by the standard and your customers.
Step 7: Verification Support
Support the independent verification body’s review and respond to queries and corrections.
Step 8: Updating and Communication
Plan periodic updates when products, data, or methods change, and support the use of results in customer disclosures within the limits of the verified study.
What Is Included in an LCA and PCF Engagement?
Depending on the agreed scope, deliverables may include:
• Goal and scope document with functional unit and system boundary.
• Process map and data collection templates.
• Life cycle inventory with data sources and assumptions.
• Product carbon footprint results in CO2e by life cycle stage.
• Additional impact category results, where a full LCA is agreed.
• Hotspot analysis and reduction options.
• Data quality and uncertainty assessment.
• PCF study report for verification and customer disclosure.
• Verification readiness support.
• Training for your team on updating the study.
Results apply to the product, boundary, and data period defined in the study and should be updated when these change.
LCA and Carbon Footprint Standards and Guidelines
Studies should follow recognized standards so that results are consistent and credible.
| Standard / Guideline | Application |
| ISO 14067:2018 | Quantification and reporting of the carbon footprint of products |
| ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 | Principles, framework, and requirements for life cycle assessment |
| ISO 14025 | Type III environmental declarations, which build on LCA data |
| ISO 14064-3 | Principles for the verification of greenhouse gas statements, used by verification bodies |
| Product category rules and sector guidance | Additional product-specific rules where a programme or customer requires them |
The standard version, product category rules, and verification requirements should be confirmed with your customer or programme before the study begins.
Product Carbon Footprint Requirements in India
A product carbon footprint is not mandatory for most products in India at present. Requests mainly come from customers, particularly in Europe and other export markets, and from corporate buyers that track emissions in their value chains.
Indian manufacturers supplying to global customers are often asked for product-level data, and some regulations in export markets, such as the European Union’s carbon border and product-related rules, create further data demands.
Organizations should check the specific method, boundary, and verification requirements of the customer, tender, or regulation that triggered the request.
A PCF study supports transparent disclosure, but verification and acceptance of the figure are decisions of the verifier and the party that requested it.
Who Needs LCA and Product Carbon Footprint Services?
Any manufacturer or product company whose customers, regulators, or targets require product-level emission data can benefit.
• Manufacturers and Exporters: Companies supplying products to customers in Europe, North America, and other markets that request carbon data.
• Automotive and Engineering Suppliers: Suppliers that receive carbon footprint requests from vehicle manufacturers and tier 1 customers.
• Textile, Chemical and Materials Producers: Producers of intermediate and finished materials that feed customers’ own footprints.
• Food, Packaging and Consumer Goods Companies: Brands and producers making sustainability claims or setting reduction targets.
• Electronics and Electrical Equipment Makers: Companies that provide environmental data to customers and procurement programmes.
Why Choose ConsultHive for LCA and PCF Services?
Standards-Based Approach
Our studies follow ISO 14067, ISO 14040, and ISO 14044, so the method is transparent and ready for review.
Practical Data Collection
We use clear templates and work with your plant and purchasing teams to obtain primary data without overburdening them.
Focus on Reduction
We go beyond the number and identify the hotspots and actions that reduce the footprint.
Verification Readiness
We document the study so that an independent verification body can review it efficiently.
Integrated Climate Support
ConsultHive also supports greenhouse gas inventories, carbon accounting, and ISO 14064 services, which helps align product-level and organization-level emission data.
Frequently Asked Questions About LCA and Product Carbon Footprint
1. What is a product carbon footprint?
A product carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with a product across a defined part of its life cycle, expressed in CO2e per functional unit.
2. What is the difference between LCA and PCF?
LCA evaluates several environmental impact categories across a product’s life cycle. A PCF considers only climate change. ISO 14067 applies the LCA approach to greenhouse gases.
3. What is cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave?
Cradle-to-gate covers raw material extraction to the point where the product leaves the factory. Cradle-to-grave covers the whole life cycle, including use and end of life.
4. What is a functional unit?
It is the defined quantity of product or service to which all results relate, such as one kilogram of material or a stated amount of service delivered.
5. Is ISO 14067 a certification?
No. ISO 14067 is a method standard for quantifying and reporting a footprint. An independent verification body can verify a study against the standard and issue a verification statement.
6. Does ConsultHive verify the study?
No. Independent verification is carried out by a separate verification body. ConsultHive prepares the study and supports readiness.
7. What data do we need to provide?
Typically bills of materials, material and energy consumption, water, waste, transport details, packaging, and supplier information. Where supplier data is missing, secondary data may be used and is documented.
8. How long does a PCF study take?
The time depends on the number of products, complexity of the supply chain, and availability of data. A single product with good data can be completed faster than a product family with many suppliers.
9. How often should the footprint be updated?
Update it when the product, suppliers, processes, energy sources, or methods change materially, and periodically as required by the customer or programme.
10. How much does a PCF or LCA study cost in India?
The cost depends on the number of products, system boundary, data availability, number of suppliers, and whether a full LCA is needed. Verification fees are separate.
Contact ConsultHive with your product details to request a quotation.
Understand Your Product’s Carbon Footprint with ConsultHive
Define your scope, collect the right data, and prepare a clear, verifiable product carbon footprint with ConsultHive.
Our LCA and PCF consulting approach helps manufacturers respond to customers, find reduction opportunities, and report with confidence.
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