Carbon Footprint of Products ISO 14067

» Scope and Overall Purpose

• ISO 14067:2018 specifies principles, requirements and guidelines for:

  • quantifying and reporting the carbon footprint of a product (CFP), and

  • quantifying a partial CFP when only selected life-cycle stages or processes are covered.

• The standard is consistent with the life cycle assessment (LCA) framework in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

ISO 14067

• Only the climate change impact category is addressed (global warming, expressed as CO₂ equivalents). Other environmental, social or economic impacts are outside the scope.

• Carbon offsetting and communication of CFP claims are explicitly excluded; these are dealt with in ISO 14026 and related standards.

In essence, the standard describes how to calculate the product carbon footprint in a transparent, consistent and scientifically based way, but it does not regulate how that footprint is communicated or offset.

» Normative References and Relationship with Other Standards

ISO 14067 sits within the broader ISO 14060 family on greenhouse gas (GHG) management and works together with several other standards:

• ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 – LCA principles, framework and requirements (basis for methodology).

• ISO/TS 14027 – rules for developing product category rules (PCR), including CFP-related PCR (CFP–PCR).

• ISO/TS 14071 – critical review processes and reviewer competencies for LCA.

• ISO 14064-1, -2, -3; ISO 14065; ISO 14066; ISO/TR 14069 – GHG inventories, projects, verification and organisational guidance.

• ISO 14026 – communication of footprint information (e.g. labels, claims).

The standard itself is described as the generic standard for quantifying product carbon footprints.

» Key Terms and Concepts

ISO 14067 provides precise terminology that underpins CFP work:

Carbon footprint of a product (CFP)

• Sum of GHG emissions and removals in a product system, expressed as CO₂e, based on an LCA using climate change as a single impact category.

• Reported per functional unit.

Partial CFP

• CFP limited to selected processes or life-cycle stages (e.g. cradle-to-gate).

• Reported per declared unit.

Other important terms include:

• CFP study – all activities necessary to quantify and report a CFP or partial CFP.

• CFP study report – documentation showing the results and decisions taken.

• CFP–PCR – product category rules specifically for CFP quantification and communication.

• Functional unit / declared unit – reference measures to which all inputs and outputs are related.

• GHG, CO₂e, GWP, GTP – greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide equivalent and the characterization factors used for conversion.

• Primary, site-specific and secondary data, and data quality/uncertainty (coverage, precision, representativeness, etc.).

• Biogenic vs fossil carbon, land use (LU), direct and indirect land use change (dLUC, iLUC) for handling biomass and land-related emissions.

» Applications of ISO 14067

The standard can be used to provide robust CFP information for multiple purposes:

• Product research and development and eco-design.

• Technology improvement and supply-chain optimisation.

• CFP performance tracking over time for the same product.

• Supporting communication of CFP and partial CFP in accordance with ISO 14026.

These applications aim to support low-carbon product strategies and GHG-related policies while avoiding inconsistent or misleading calculations.

» Principles for CFP Quantification

Clause 5 sets out the principles that must guide any CFP study:

• Life cycle perspective – cover all relevant stages from raw material extraction through production, distribution, use and end-of-life.

• Relative approach and functional/declared unit – results are always related to a clearly defined unit of function or declared quantity.

• Iterative approach – the four LCA phases (goal and scope, LCI, LCIA, interpretation) are refined as needed to improve consistency.

• Priority of scientific approach – decisions should primarily rely on natural sciences; where not possible, other scientific approaches or conventions may be used.

• Relevance – methods and data must be appropriate for the GHG profile of the system.

• Completeness – all significant GHG emissions and removals must be included according to defined cut-off criteria.

• Consistency – methods, assumptions and data are applied uniformly across the study.

• Coherence – use internationally recognised methodologies and sector guidance to support comparability.

• Accuracy – strive for results that are accurate, verifiable, relevant and not misleading.

• Transparency – assumptions, methods, data sources and estimates must be clearly documented.

• Avoidance of double-counting – each GHG emission or removal is allocated only once within the product system.

These principles are mandatory foundations and shape all subsequent requirements for conducting a CFP study.

» Methodology for Quantifying CFP and Partial CFP

General structure

A CFP study must follow the four LCA phases:

1. Goal and scope definition (Clause 6.3)
2. Life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis (Clause 6.4)
3. Impact assessment focused on climate change (Clause 6.5)
4. Interpretation of results (Clause 6.6)

Unit processes are grouped into life-cycle stages (raw materials, design, production, transport/delivery, use and end-of-life). Partial CFPs can be combined into a full CFP if they are calculated consistently with no gaps or overlaps.

ISO 14067 also allows organisations to develop a CFP systematic approach for multiple products, as described in Annex C.

Use of CFP–PCR

• Where relevant CFP–PCR exist, they must be adopted, provided they conform to ISO/TS 14027 and meet ISO 14067 requirements on boundaries, allocation and data quality.

• If several PCR sets are available, the organisation must justify which one is used.

• Where no CFP–PCR exist, other internationally agreed sector guidance can be used if consistent with ISO 14067.

Goal and scope definition

The goal of the study must clearly state

ISO 14067

• intended application (e.g. internal optimisation, comparison, performance tracking),

• reasons for the study,

• intended audience,

• planned communication of CFP or partial CFP information (if any).

The scope of the study must describe:

• the product system and its functions;

• the functional unit (CFP) or declared unit (partial CFP);

• the system boundary (life-cycle stages, geographical scope);

• data and data quality requirements;

• time boundary for data;

• assumptions for use stage and end-of-life;

• allocation procedures;

• treatment of specific GHG emissions and removals (e.g. land use change, electricity);

• requirements for the CFP study report and critical review;

• limitations of the study.

Functional/declared unit and system boundary

Functional or declared unit

• Provides the reference measure to which all inputs and outputs are related.

• Must be clearly defined, measurable and consistent with the goal and scope.

• For comparative studies, the same functional unit is mandatory; comparisons based on declared units are allowed only for business-to-business use and under strict conditions (Annex B).

System boundary and cut-off criteria

• The boundary determines which unit processes are included.

• All life-cycle stages and processes that can significantly influence CFP must be considered.

• Exclusions are allowed only when they do not change conclusions, and must be justified.

• Carbon offsetting must not be included in the CFP.

• Cut-off criteria define which flows or processes can be excluded as insignificant; their impact on results must be checked and documented.

Data, data quality and time boundaries

Data requirements

• Site-specific data are required where the organisation has operational or financial control and for processes with major contributions to CFP.

• Primary data reviewed by a third party should be used when site-specific data are not feasible.

• Secondary data (databases, literature, default factors) may only be used when primary data are not practicable or for processes of minor importance; they must be justified and referenced.

Data quality is evaluated on:

• time-related, geographic and technological coverage;

• precision and completeness;

• representativeness;

• consistency and reproducibility;

• data sources and uncertainty.

Time boundary for data

• The period for which CFP results are representative must be stated and justified.

• Data should account for inter-annual variability and reflect average conditions over the selected period, including seasonal aspects (e.g. agriculture).

Life cycle inventory (LCI)

LCI includes:

• systematic data collection;

• validation of data;

• assignment of flows to unit processes and to the functional/declared unit;

• refinement of system boundaries if needed;

• allocation of inputs and outputs where processes generate multiple products or shared flows;

• specific procedures for recycling, biogenic/fossil carbon, land use change, electricity and other special cases.

The standard also describes CFP performance tracking, where CFP is calculated at different points in time for the same product using consistent methods, and treatment of timing of GHG emissions and removals (especially when they extend beyond 10 years).

Impact assessment and interpretation

Impact assessment (LCIA)

• Focuses solely on climate change as the impact category.

• Uses global warming potentials (or, where appropriate, global temperature change potentials) to convert individual GHG emissions into CO₂e.

• Includes specific rules for biogenic carbon in products and delayed emissions.

Interpretation

• Evaluates LCI and LCIA results in relation to goal and scope.

• Identifies hotspots, checks completeness and consistency, assesses the influence of assumptions and uncertainties, and draws conclusions and recommendations.

» CFP Study Report and Critical Review

CFP study report (Clause 7)

• Must demonstrate that ISO 14067 requirements are met.

• Includes:

  • description of the goal, scope, system boundaries and functional/declared unit;

  • methods used for data collection, data quality assessment, allocation and impact assessment;

  • CFP results (GHG values) and their breakdown by life-cycle stages or specific sources;

  • assumptions, limitations, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis;
    where applicable, description of any supplementary calculations (e.g. timing of emissions, biogenic carbon storage).

Critical review (Clause 8)

• Ensures consistency between the CFP study and ISO 14067 principles and requirements.

• May be performed by an independent expert or a review panel, depending on the intended use (especially for comparative assertions).

» Annexes and Limitations

ISO 14067 contains several annexes with additional rules and guidance:

• Annex A (normative): Limitations of the CFP

  • Explains that methodological constraints and data limitations affect accuracy.

  • Clarifies that CFP results are often not sufficient by themselves for direct comparison of products, unless Annex B and programme-specific rules are followed.

• Annex B (normative): Comparison based on CFP

  • Sets strict conditions for comparative studies: same product category, identical functional unit, equivalent system boundaries, data quality, assumptions and treatment of specific emissions (e.g. land use change, electricity).

• Annex C (normative): CFP systematic approach

  • Describes how organisations can establish a consistent, repeatable framework to quantify CFP for multiple products efficiently.

• Annex D (informative): Recycling in CFP studies

  • Provides possible procedures for handling recycling, including allocation based on physical or economic criteria and number of subsequent uses.

• Annex E (informative): Agricultural and forestry products

  • Offers guidance on GHG emissions and removals from agriculture and forestry, including land use and land use change, biogenic carbon storage and reference land use baselines.

Adaptation Notice under the ISO – International Organization for Standardization

This text has been adapted in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the ISO – International Organization for Standardization. In our efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment, we have carefully reviewed and incorporated ISO. This adaptation process reflects our commitment to high-quality, accurate, ensuring that the information presented adheres to internationally recognized standards.