Frequently Asked Questions

We would like to do a project but are not sure that we want to use the Carbon Reduction Label at this point?

During the course of the project the Product Carbon Footprinting and Labelling team discusses with clients what communications, if any, are appropriate to them.

To date we have helped companies with a menu of different options:

• Measurement only
• Measurement and certification
• In addition, support with reduction
• In addition, communication (e.g. website, brochure, CSR report)
• In addition on-pack labelling.

Do you have a database of product footprints or list of partners?

A list of companies and products can be found in our directory by clicking here.

Does this mean that any businesses using the PAS 2050 will automatically be awarded the Carbon Reduction Label?

The Carbon Reduction Label will be provided to organisations on a case by case basis whose product carbon footprints have been certified to be in compliance with the PAS 2050, the Code of Good Practice and certification requirements within Footprint Expert.

Organisations using the PAS 2050 will have a consistent approach to measuring the embodied GHG emissions in their goods and services. However, the methodology does not on its own allow for comparisons across products due to the possibility that different data sources may be used.

The Carbon Reduction Label provides this comparability – and assurance that the footprint has undergone independent, third-party verification – as it requires an organisation to use the same data and information sources.

Are you the only company that can certify to the Carbon Reduction Label?

Because the initiative is still very new, we are currently the only organisation that can certify to the Carbon Reduction Label but we are looking to expand this to include other organisations.

The Carbon Trust Footprinting Company - and is working to ensure a healthy market place develops for consultancies and certifiers in this field.

We already have a group of consultancies working with us on the carbon footprint measurement work. Our team can help to match companies up with suitable consultants to work with them to footprint their products. This is already allowing more companies to do high quality product footprinting work.

We are also working with other certification bodies to allow them to certify against all the requirements for comparable footprints and for the Carbon Reduction Label. We expect to implement this in the first half of 2010.

What is the history of this initiative?

There is some information on the history of the initiative on the website. Further information can be found on the Carbon Trust website.

What is the carbon footprint of a product?

The Carbon Footprint of a product is the total carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted through its life including production, use and disposal. For example, the carbon footprint of cola is the total net amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted to produce and dispose of a single can of cola.

What is the Carbon Reduction Label?

Simply put, the Carbon Reduction Label is a public display of the carbon footprint of a good or service. This is the total carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses emitted during its life, including production, use and disposal. Companies using the Label commit to reducing their product carbon footprint over the subsequent two years before recertification.

How will the Label benefit companies and consumers?

The Label is intended to act as the bridge between carbon-conscious companies and their consumers.

For consumers, the Label empowers them to lower their personal carbon footprints and reward companies for delivering low carbon products.

For companies, the Label helps companies to benefit from their commitment to manage and reduce product carbon emissions. The Label will also encourage companies to show their green credentials, drive carbon efficiencies up and down their supply chains, and even switch away from carbon intensive products.

What are the elements of the Carbon Reduction Label?

The Carbon Reduction Label has been developed based on businesses and consumer market research. The Label design includes four core elements: a footprint logo, the carbon footprint number, statement indicating the company is 'working with the Carbon Trust' and a written reduction commitment. In addition to these elements a number of optional consumer education elements such as an explanation of the carbon footprint, customer action tips and product comparisons can be included on pack or supporting in-store materials.

Where can we use the Carbon Reduction Label?

To date the Carbon Reduction Label has been used on pack, on websites, in catalogues, in CSR reports, in press materials and at point of sale. The Carbon Reduction Label can be used anywhere, where it is associated closely with the product or service. The biggest benefits from using the Label come when it is used on pack but it is not a requirement for companies to do so; they can choose to use the Label to communicate through other channels.

The Label cannot be used to imply that a company has measured or is reducing its corporate footprint (which will include some of the lifecycle emissions from all of the products it produces); all communications should explain what has been achieved, clearly referencing the specific product(s) or service(s) footprinted. Guidelines are issued to users to assist with its use.

What does a business have to do to qualify for a Label?

To qualify for a Carbon Trust Carbon Reduction Label, companies will need to have their product carbon footprint certified against our comparability requirements, including PAS 2050, Code of Practice, Comparability Rules and standard secondary data where appropriate.

Why did the Carbon Label Company become the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company?

As part of a wider set of measures to reinforce the independence of its certification activities, the Carbon Label Company has separated the certification activities from the rest of the Company delivering footprinting services.

We are also using this as an opportunity to change the Company name to better reflect the full range of products and services we offer to customers. The Carbon Label Company has become the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company, and the Certification Company is the Carbon Trust Footprinting Certification Company.

What criteria does a product carbon footprint need to meet to be able to use the Carbon Reduction Label?

Therefore to use the Carbon Reduction Label a product carbon footprint must be independently certified to be in compliance with:

• The PAS 2050;
• The Code of Good Practice on ; and
• The further comparability rules and data used by Carbon Reduction Label certifiers.

What does the Carbon Reduction Label offer that just being certified to being PAS compliant does not?

The PAS 2050 provides a consistent approach to use for product carbon footprinting – it does not bring comparability between product carbon footprints however. As different boundaries etc. can be drawn up for the same product in different product carbon footprints. Use of the Carbon Reduction Label, or certification to the standard required to use the Carbon Reduction Label, enables comparisons to be made between the product carbon footprints of different companies at different times.

The Carbon Reduction Label provides this comparability – and the assurance of independent, third-party certification. The application of further comparability rules and data sources used by Carbon Label certifiers seeks to ensure that the footprint figure put on the Label is comparable between products from different organisations and at different times.

What are the benefits of the Carbon Reduction Label?

• Differentiating the product or service to consumers and/or business customers.
• Pre-empting growing consumer interest in understanding the carbon footprints of the things they buy.
• Helping consumers to compare between different products and services and helping them use and dispose of them in a lower-carbon way.
• Enhancing brand and corporate reputation by leveraging the authority and credibility of the Carbon Trust, together with the reduction commitment.
• Driving carbon reduction and finding cost savings across the organisation and supply chain through the public reduction commitment.
• Engaging with employees to drive carbon reductions and increase staff loyalty.
• Helping to create a critical mass of companies and consumers to drive significant carbon reductions nationally and worldwide.

What does the Carbon Trust expect the Carbon Reduction Label to achieve?

In the long run, Carbon Trust expects the development of the Label will lead to changes in market behaviour by:

• enabling consumers to differentiate between specific products on the basis of their carbon content and potentially influence purchasing decisions;
• enabling consumers to understand which products are carbon intensive, and potentially influence changes in their lifestyles;
• enabling companies to compete on green credentials;
• enabling/encouraging companies to improve their efficiency and influence the supply chain;
• enabling/encouraging companies to begin to switch away from carbon intensive products.

Can you provide me with some information on a particular project?

Please see the list of companies and products we have worked with here.

Can you tell me the carbon footprint of product X?

We can only provide the product carbon footprints of products which have been certified – and that the company in question has chosen to disclose. Please click here to see the list.

Which companies are currently displaying the Carbon Reduction Label?

The pilot partners have used the draft standard to measure the embodied GHG emissions of chosen products. It is the intention of the partners to reduce product carbon emissions and to work together with the Carbon Trust to explore the best way to communicate this information to consumers.

The following companies are either already using or have committed to use the Carbon Trust Carbon Reduction Label:

• Walkers
• Boots
• Innocent
• Halifax
• Colors Fruit
• Continental Clothing Company Ltd
• Tesco
• British Sugar
• Cadbury

Please see the Product directory for a full list of those who have been certified to the level of the Carbon Reduction Label and have chosen to communicate about it.

Can we see these Labels on the shelf?

Originally the label now appeared on all flavours of Walkers crisps, on the Innocent drinks website for their mango and passionfruit smoothie and on point of sale materials for the Botanics range of shampoos in Boots stores nationwide. There are companies that are being certified on a regular basis. You can see these companies on the Product Directory page and many of them are currently considering ways that they will communicate their product's achievement of the Carbon Reduction Label.

Why did you choose to show the amount of carbon instead of RDAs?

RDAs and traffic-light schemes are used for food Labelling; there is reasonable agreement on what the target average fat, sugar and salt intake should be. As of today, there is no consensus on an appropriate target for carbon emissions in terms of timeframe, sector allocation or future reductions. A traffic-light or RDA scheme would not be meaningful at this stage.

Why not just use an air-freight Label, like M&S?

"Food miles" is an important issue but often the transport emissions are a small part of the total carbon footprint of a product. A focus just on miles or air-freight can give a misleading picture of the total carbon emissions. Raw materials, packaging, manufacturing, use and disposal can all be significant sources of carbon emissions. We think that by measuring all these different steps, we can create a more representative picture of the carbon impact of a product. Importantly, the Carbon Trust Label is also a commitment to reduce a product's emissions.

What is the incentive for a business to put yet another Label on its products?

Recent research for the Carbon Trust by Opinion Leader Research concludes that companies see climate change as the primary issue likely to impact their corporate reputation during 2007. It will be one of the first opportunities companies have to demonstrate their commitment to reducing carbon direct to consumers. The latest Consumer Brands and Climate Change 2008 research shows that there is a receptive market from consumers for innovative solutions that will help people reduce their impact on climate change.

Will this mean anything to consumers? Isn't it too early for the general public?

Consumer research by the Carbon Trust and others (LEK, Women's Environmental Network, Walkers – see separate Research highlights document) shows that consumer awareness of product carbon footprints is relatively low but that the idea resonates once explained.
Consumers understand the proposition, especially the commitment to reduce emissions, but education will be crucial. Over time, once a sufficient number of companies and products have embraced the standard and shared that information with customers, consumers and retailers will be able to benchmark and select low carbon products. Companies will be able to differentiate their products on the basis of carbon content.

Our proposition is simple: to award the Label to companies committing to reduce the carbon footprint of their product within two years. We expect that this will help companies and consumers to understand and drive carbon reduction, while new companies embrace the standard.

Will people get confused with weight of product?

The Label will be clearly signposted, with a further explanation on the back of pack, point of sale or company website, so they shouldn't. However consumer reaction is one of the areas we want to test going forward.

How are you going to help consumers understand what this means? Will you be running education campaigns?

We are working with our partner companies to develop customer communications to begin this process. In the short term, the focus of the consumer message will be on the brand-owner's intent to reduce the carbon footprint of the product. In the medium term, consumer understanding of carbon footprints will have increased and there will be a greater array of products carrying the Label. This allows the carbon footprint figures to play a more prominent role in comparisons between products and suppliers.

What do I need to think about when starting a carbon footprint project or using the Carbon Reduction Label?

A company needs to consider:

• Internal and external costs and resources involved in the development and certification of the product carbon footprint and the use of the Carbon Reduction Label.
• Decide what product or service is to be footprinted.
• Our experience suggests it can be beneficial to start with a product or range of products from which you leverage the:
• Carbon reduction opportunities identified across the business;
• Product carbon footprint model i.e. once you have footprinted blue socks it will be easier to footprint other colours.
• The process learnings from conducting the project i.e. what has worked well in terms of conducting the product carbon footprinting exercise.
• Decide whether and how they would like to use Carbon Reduction Label e.g. on pack / point of sale / website. (Although this decision can be made further along the process).
• Be willing to sign up to the "reduce it or lose it" clause – where by if the product carbon footprint does not reduce over a two year period the Label is withdrawn.

What was the role and contribution of Defra, the Carbon Trust and BSI in developing the PAS 2050?

Defra and The Carbon Trust co-sponsored the work with BSI British Standards to develop of PAS2050, the standard method to measure the carbon footprint of products & services.

The Carbon Trust was responsible for day-to-day leadership of the project and providing technical expertise and authoring of the standard. In addition, the Carbon Trust supported a number of pilot projects that allowed different drafts of the PAS to be tested on real products.

The Carbon Trust and Defra were jointly responsible for approving the scope of the work, input into technical meetings and steering group, and final sign-off. In addition, Defra supported additional research work on life cycle assessment methods, and the implications of carbon footprinting in the food and agricultural sectors.

Does the PAS 2050 include carbon emitted when the product is used?

The Carbon Trust, Carbon Reduction Label and PAS 2050 all include the emissions during the use phase of a product or service. The inclusion of the use phase will increase consumer awareness and help them to reduce their impact when using products.

A company displaying the Carbon Reduction Label can chose to include hints & tips for the consumer on how they can reduce the footprint of the product they are using, as well as other context on the drivers of emissions.

Does the carbon measured include that relating to packaging and recycling?

Yes, the standard currently measures the GHG emissions caused by the raw material production, manufacture, transport and disposal of packaging including any recycling.

Can you send me the PAS / Code / Implementation guide?

All the documents can be found on the relevant web sites of the relevant owners of these publications. They can be found through these links below.
PAS link
Code Link
Implementation guide link

Could you provide me with some secondary data or recommend data sources?

The Carbon Trust and Carbon Trust Footprinting Company doesn't recommend LCA databases or guarantee that they are compliant with the PAS 2050. The attached link could provide a starting point for your research:
http://lca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/lcainfohub/databaseList.vm

When using an LCA database it is important to clarify its timeliness in terms of when the site and the database itself was last updated and also to understand the comprehensiveness of the data set – e.g. what is included in the emissions factors. If you want the data set to be in line with the PAS 2050 – you should check if the data set you are referencing meets the requirements of the PAS 2050. For example, are the right boundary conditions considered, or what method of allocation is applied for co-products and waste.

Please note that the above link is provided for your convenience only. Neither the Carbon Trust nor the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company have reviewed this website in its entirety (nor any links within it) or such framed content, and neither company controls, nor is responsible for its operation nor for the content on or privacy policies on, or the security of, the website; and you are accessing it at your own risk. Neither the Carbon Trust nor the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company endorse or make any representations about the content or any products or services available this website or any results which may be obtained by using it. Neither is it associated with the operators or administrators of such websites.

If you are working with us on a specific project then there is a process for you to our secondary data courses and comparability rules.

Can you tell me how to apply the PAS in a certain situation?

Please refer to The Guide to the PAS on the BSI website.

How does the standard relate to existing product environmental footprinting standards, such as the ISO14000 series?

The PAS 2050 has been developed using the accepted principles of life cycle assessment. As part of the creation of an open standard, it aligns with the framework defined in ISO standards 14040 and 14041 for Life Cycle Assessment and the Life Cycle Inventory Analysis toolkit, as well as ISO 14064 on company greenhouse corporate accounting and ISO14025 on type III ecological product labelling.

Surely an organisation can choose a data set that it knows will give a more favourable emissions report or Label figure? Doesn't this defeat the purpose of the PAS 2050?

The data quality rules in the PAS 2050 require that organisations use the highest quality, most accurate and representative data available. Any organisation seeking third-party verification will be held to this standard and must defend their use of a particular data source.

How often will the PAS 2050 be updated and will this mean that organisations using it will have to update their reporting every time it changes?

BSI has a requirement that a PAS standard is reviewed at least every two years to determine whether an update is required. As co-sponsors of the PAS (along with Defra) The Carbon Trust has committed to participating in this review.

In addition, the carbon footprinting projects we are doing in UK, US, China, Continental Europe and elsewhere are teaching us more about how the PAS applies to real products and real supply chains. This learning will be fed into future developments of the PAS or any subsequent ISO or WRI product carbon footprinting standards.

What action can organisations take now that the PAS 2050 has been launched? How can they start using the new methodology?

Organisations should review PAS 2050 and the accompanying Implementation Guide for help understanding the process. The Guide offers step-by-step guidance based on our work with pilot partners on how to run an efficient and effective product carbon footprinting exercise. If you are interested in product carbon footprinting then please fill in the enquiry form.

When do you expect the PAS 2050 to be available internationally?

Yes. The PAS 2050 is already available to anyone, anywhere on the world, through BSI's website. It is applicable to goods and services from any country, and we encourage international adoption.

The Carbon Trust will participate in both the, GHG Protocol's Supply Chain Initiative, run by World Resources Institute and World Business Council on Sustainable Development, and any future ISO developments. This way the PAS 2050 will play a significant role as a foundation document for any future international product emission standards.

What happens if ingredients used to make a product are flown in from abroad – are you counting air miles in the carbon footprint?

Yes. Establishing the carbon emissions relating to transport embedded in a product is built into the PAS 2050 at several stages: raw materials, manufacture, distribution and disposal. Transporting ingredients, whether flown, shipped or by road, would be included under the raw materials input.

Why isn't offsetting included in the footprint but renewables are?

The PAS 2050 is designed simply to measure the GHG emissions of a product and therefore only includes in its calculation the GHG impact directly attributable to the product. Should organisations with to offset, they can do so outside of the PAS; of course, before an organisation can offset they need to know how much to offset, and the PAS provides this information.

When accounting for emissions from renewables, the organisation must now be able to demonstrate 'additionality' - that carbon emission reductions have occurred in addition to business as usual. For example, simply buying a "green tariff" would not give a carbon benefit above the grid average emissions of electricity, as there isn't certainty that the electricity supplied by the green tariff is in addition to the usual mix of generators.

We are a B2B organisation, can we use the PAS?

Yes. The PAS 2050 has been successfully completed with a number of B2B companies.

The product life cycle for a B2B product is referred to under the PAS 2050 as a 'partial GHG emissions assessment' – and covers the life cycle up to the point at which the product leaves the factory gates (or the distribution centre).

The Carbon Reduction Label communicates the GHG emissions created in this 'cradle-to-gate' life-cycle and can be used by other organisations in their product carbon footprinting work.

Possessing a certified B2B footprint would allow a company to pass the figure to customers further down the supply chain that were completing product carbon footprinting projects themselves. We call this the 'chain of custody' model.

As a B2B company you may find the Continental Case Study relevant. This can be downloaded from the Carbon Trust website.

We are a service organisation – can we use the PAS 2050 or Carbon Reduction Label?

Yes, the PAS 2050 has been used to footprint a service.

As a service organisation you may find the HBOS case study interesting. This can be downloaded from the Case study section of the website.

We are a SME organisation, can we use the PAS?

Yes. The pilot process has successfully concluded projects with SME organisations.

My company is not based in the UK – can we work with you?

If a company is based outside of the UK but exports to the UK it may be interested in working with us on a UK managed project.

In addition, we are working with companies to footprint products for other markets including US, China, Continental Europe and elsewhere.

To learn more please contact us on carbon.label@carbontrust.co.uk

What is the scope of the PAS 2050 and the Carbon Reduction Label?

To date PAS has been successfully applied to:

• Products and services (e.g. Halifax's Websaver Account)
• B2C and B2B companies (e.g. Continental Clothing)
• Products ranging from paving stones to irons.

The Carbon Reduction Label has been displayed on the goods of SME and B2B goods (e.g. Continental Clothing), Services (Halifax Websaver Account), energy-using products (Tesco Light Bulbs), B2C products (e.g. Walkers Crisps).

How will the standard relate to existing product environmental footprinting standards, such as the ISO14000 series?

The PAS 2050 has been developed using the accepted principles of life cycle assessment. As part of the creation of an open standard, it aligns with the framework defined in ISO standards 14040 and 14041 for Life Cycle Assessment and the Life Cycle Inventory Analysis toolkit, as well as ISO 14064 on company greenhouse corporate accounting and ISO14025 on type III ecological product labelling.

What is the reduce it or lose it clause? Or What are the reductions necessary to keep the Carbon Reduction Label?

Companies who use the Carbon Reduction Label must commit to reducing the carbon footprint of the Labelled product over a 2 year period. 'The Code of Good Practice for product GHG emissions and reduction claims' defines what constitutes 'reduction' in terms of commitments made by companies to reduce the carbon impact of their products and services. There is no fixed percentage reduction required - just to demonstrate a reduction overall. This will need to be complied with to retain the use of the Label.

We have developed a product carbon footprint. Can we have it certified?

Yes, it is possible for the Carbon Trust Footprinting Certification Company to certify footprints produced by companies or their own consultants. These footprints would be consistently and independently certified to ensure compliance with:

• The PAS 2050 and Code of Good Practice
• Certification requirements within Footprint Expert
• Comparability Rules,
• Use of the secondary data where appropriate

Does this mean that any businesses using the PAS 2050 will automatically be awarded the Carbon Reduction Label?

The Carbon Reduction Label will be provided to organisations on a case by case basis who undertake certification with the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company.

Organisations using the PAS 2050 will have a consistent approach to measuring the embodied GHG emissions in their goods and services. However, the methodology does not on its own allow for comparisons across products due to the possibility that different data sources may be used.

The Carbon Reduction Label provides this comparability – and assurance of independent, third-party verification – as it requires an organisation use the same data and information sources as those used by the Carbon Trust Footprinting Company verifiers. Only in this way can we ensure that the footprint figure put on the Label is accurately comparable between products.

Are you the only company that can certify to the Carbon Reduction Label?

Because the initiative is still very new, we are currently the only organisation that can certify to the Carbon Reduction Label but we are looking to expand this to include other organisations. We already have a group of consultancies working with us on the carbon footprint measurement work. Our team can help to match companies up with suitable consultants to work with them to footprint their products. This is already allowing more companies to do high quality product footprinting work.
We are also working with other certification bodies to allow them to certify against all the requirements for comparable footprints and for the Carbon Reduction Label. We expect to implement this in the first half of 2009.

How does this relate to the Climate Change Bill and other upcoming legislation?

The UK government is working to achieve the best means for responding to climate change by 2050. The introduction of a Label that guarantees the reduction of product emissions within two years shows that the UK is at the forefront of the global low carbon economy.

What was the role and contribution of Defra, the Carbon Trust and BSI in developing the PAS 2050?

Defra and The Carbon Trust co-sponsored the work with BSI British Standards to develop of PAS2050, the standard method to measure the carbon footprint of products & services.

The Carbon Trust was responsible for day-to-day leadership of the project and providing technical expertise and authoring of the standard. In addition, the Carbon Trust supported a number of pilot projects that allowed different drafts of the PAS to be tested on real products.

The Carbon Trust and Defra were jointly responsible for approving the scope of the work, input into technical meetings and steering group, and final sign-off. In addition, Defra supported additional research work on life cycle assessment methods, and the implications of carbon footprinting in the food and agricultural sectors.

Do you have a database of product footprints or list of pilot partners?

Refer to directory on website. A list of pilot partners can be found in the Business case publication.

What is the carbon footprint of a product?

The Carbon Footprint of a product is the total carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted through its life including production, use and disposal. For example, the carbon footprint of cola is the total net amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted to produce and dispose of a single can of cola.

What is the Carbon Reduction Label?

Simply put, the Carbon Reduction Label is a public display of the carbon footprint of a good or service. This is the total carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gasses emitted during its life, including production, use and disposal. Companies using the Label commit to reducing their product carbon footprint over the subsequent two years before recertification.

How will the Label benefit companies and consumers?

The Label is intended to act as the bridge between carbon-conscious companies and their consumers.

For consumers, the Label empowers them to lower their personal carbon footprints and reward companies for delivering low carbon products.

For companies, the Label helps companies to benefit from their commitment to manage and reduce product carbon emissions. The Label will also encourage companies to show their green credentials, drive carbon efficiencies up and down their supply chains, and even switch away from carbon intensive products.

What are the elements of the Carbon Reduction Label?

The Carbon Reduction Label has been developed based on businesses and consumer market research. The Label design includes four core elements: a footprint logo, the carbon footprint number, statement indicating the company is 'working with the Carbon Trust' and a written reduction commitment. In addition to these elements a number of optional consumer education elements such as an explanation of the carbon footprint, customer action tips and product comparisons can be included on pack or supporting in-store materials.

Can we see these Labels on the shelf?

Originally the label now appeared on all flavours of Walkers crisps, on the Innocent drinks website for their mango and passionfruit smoothie and on point of sale materials for the Botanics range of shampoos in Boots stores nationwide. There are companies that are being certified on a regular basis. You can see these companies on the Product Directory page and many of them are currently considering ways that they will communicate their product's achievement of the Carbon Reduction Label.

Why did you choose to show the amount of carbon instead of RDAs?

RDAs and traffic-light schemes are used for food Labelling; there is reasonable agreement on what the target average fat, sugar and salt intake should be. As of today, there is no consensus on an appropriate target for carbon emissions in terms of timeframe, sector allocation or future reductions. A traffic-light or RDA scheme would not be meaningful at this stage.

Why not just use an air-freight Label, like M&S?

"Food miles" is an important issue but often the transport emissions are a small part of the total carbon footprint of a product. A focus just on miles or air-freight can give a misleading picture of the total carbon emissions. Raw materials, packaging, manufacturing, use and disposal can all be significant sources of carbon emissions. We think that by measuring all these different steps, we can create a more representative picture of the carbon impact of a product. Importantly, the Carbon Trust Label is also a commitment to reduce a product's emissions.

How much will it cost for a company to have a product analysed and then be allowed to use the Label?

It is difficult and not very meaningful to give an estimate of the cost of a project before it is properly scoped.

The cost for a project will vary significantly depending on the complexity and size of the supply chain being assessed, the number and synergy of products footprinted and the amount of data collection already conducted by the company. The amount would also vary depending on whether they chose to produce the product carbon footprint internally or with the assistance of a consultancy or use our new toolkit coming out in mid-2009.

We have had projects where the costs per product footprinted have been just a few thousand pounds to others which have been more expensive. 

The first project is usually the most expensive but the costs decrease with economies of scale and learning.

There is an annual publication fee for use of the Carbon Reduction Label.  This is calculated as a % of product sales.  The product carbon footprint has to be re-certified every two years.

Longer term, our objective is to reduce the cost of the analysis so that it becomes possible to use much more widely.

How much does it cost to use the Carbon Reduction Label?

There is an annual fee for the use of the Carbon Reduction Label. This is calculated on the basis of a flat fee and a tiered % of sales.

Is it true that it costs £40-50k per product?

No, this isn't true. The cost of conducting a pilot and having a product analysed varies a great deal from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand. We believe the maximum cost of a project for one product has been £30k so far. From our experience factors that influence the costs include; the number and similarity between products being footprinted, the complexity and size of the supply chain(s) being assessed and the amount of data already available.

Can you send me the PAS / Code / Implementation guide?

All the documents can be found on the relevant web sites of the relevant owners of these publications. They can be found through these links below.
PAS link
Code Link
Implementation guide link

We are a consultancy, how can we work with the Carbon Trust on Product Carbon Footprinting and Labelling?
Or
We are a consultancy and have a client who is interested in product carbon footprinting / the Carbon Reduction Label.

We are happy to work with new companies and consultancies. Should you have a client with an interest in having their product footprinted in compliance with the BSI PAS, Code of Good Practice and other requirements for the award of the Carbon Reduction Label, you can enquire further through our enquiry page.

Can you recommend a consultancy to work with us?

We don't publish a list of recommended consultancies but we can advise companies on how to find a suitable consultancy to work with.

What does a project involve?

Two publications would be useful to a company that is beginning to think about a product carbon footprinting project:

• A Guide to PAS 2050 (downloadable from http://www.bsigroup.com/pas2050)
• "Product Carbon Footprinting and Labelling: A New Opportunity for Businesses" (downloadable from the case studies page)

What do I need to think about when starting a carbon footprint project or using the Carbon Reduction Label?

A company needs to consider:

• Internal and external costs and resources involved in the development and certification of the product carbon footprint and the use of the Carbon Reduction Label.
• Decide what product or service is to be footprinted.
• Our experience suggests it can be beneficial to start with a product or range of products from which you leverage the:
  • Carbon reduction opportunities identified across the business;
  • Product carbon footprint model i.e. once you have footprinted blue socks it will be easier to footprint other colours.
  • The process learnings from conducting the project i.e. what has worked well in terms of conducting the product carbon footprinting exercise.
• Decide whether and how they would like to use Carbon Reduction Label e.g. on pack / point of sale / website. (Although this decision can be made further along the process).
• Be willing to sign up to the "reduce it or lose it" clause – where by if the product carbon footprint does not reduce over a two year period the Label is withdrawn.
• Be willing to sign up to the "reduce it or lose it" clause – where by if the product carbon footprint does not reduce over a two year period the Label is withdrawn.

I represent an international body how can we collaborate?

Please enter your area of enquiry into enquiry box.

We are a B2B organisation, can we use the PAS 2050 or Carbon Reduction Label?

Yes. The PAS 2050 has been successfully completed with a number of B2B companies.

The product life cycle for a B2B product is referred to under the PAS 2050 as a 'partial GHG emissions assessment' – and covers the life cycle up to the point at which the product leaves the factory gates (or the distribution centre).

The Carbon Reduction Label communicates the GHG emissions created in this 'cradle-to-gate' life-cycle and can be used by other organisations in their product carbon footprinting work.

Possessing a certified B2B footprint would allow a company to pass the figure to customers further down the supply chain that were completing product carbon footprinting projects themselves. We call this the 'chain of custody' model.

As a B2B company you may find the Continental Case Study relevant. This can be downloaded from the Carbon Trust website.

We are a service organisation – can we use the PAS 2050 or Carbon Reduction Label?

Yes, the PAS 2050 has been used to footprint a service.

As a service organisation you may find the HBOS case study interesting. This can be downloaded from the Case study section of the website.

We are a SME organisation, can we use the PAS 2050 or Carbon Reduction Label?

Yes. The pilot process has successfully concluded projects with SME organisations.

We are a consultancy, how can we get involved?

The Carbon Trust works with companies – and their consultancies - to help them measure, reduce, certify and communicate the product carbon footprints of their products and services. Companies choose how to work with us on a case-by-case basis but we never produce the carbon footprint analysis ourselves – rather, we advise and support them, or their consultancy, in gathering the data and building the footprint.

Companies are free to undertake the footprinting process with any consultant they choose; we do not have a formal consultant accreditation process. Should a consultancy want to work with us for the first time, they must first find a client company who wants to use them to do the carbon footprint calculation. We can then work with both the company and consultancy together on the footprint measurement work. Interested consultancies should either contact us directly or encourage their clients to contact us so we can discuss further how a project can be progressed.

What are the typical stages of a project?

A product carbon footprinting project typically involves the following stages:

• Footprint measurement
  1. Scoping Workshop and Project Definition
  2. Analysis of Supply Chain
  3. Data Collection
  4. Development of the footprinting model
  5. Review of Data and Model
  6. Revisions to Data and Model
• Certification
• Public Communication

The Carbon Trust may be involved in a support role throughout the measurement process and can then provide certification services and support with public communication if required. Typically the consultancy will take the lead in managing the project, will undertake the data collection with the client, will develop the model and submit it to the Carbon Trust for certification (if required). The Carbon Trust can provide standard templates, secondary emissions factors, sub-models and comparability rules for the consultants to use as a basis for development of the model. This helps to ensure consistency in approach, significantly reduces the effort required to build the carbon footprint model and facilitates the certification process.

We have been asked by our client about being certified against the PAS 2050 and / or using the Carbon Reduction Label - can you certify our product carbon footprint in this case?

If you have a client that wishes to have their product or service carbon footprint certified please encourage them to contact us, or contact us yourselves, and we can discuss further.

Certification to the standard required for the Carbon Reduction Label seeks to provide comparability in carbon footprinting, by ensuring compliance with 4 key elements:

• The PAS 2050 and Code of Good Practice
• The Carbon Trust Comparability Rules (which would surround issues such as definition of a product use phase),
• The Carbon Trust standardised secondary data where appropriate; and
• Consistent and independent certification of the carbon footprint calculations by our independent certification team

We have a client interested in product carbon footprinting but at this time they are not sure whether to have their model certified or to communicate their product carbon footprint

Clients are not required to go through certification or to communicate/label their products if they don't want to. Of course, all of the work we do with companies to help them measure their product footprint is compatible with certification and communication in the future if they subsequently decide to go that route. We also work with companies to look at their existing carbon footprint calculations and do the "gap analysis" to describe any additional work would be required to build a footprint which can be certified.

We also license our Comparability Rules, standardised secondary data, templates and sub-models to third parties for use in projects through our Footprint Expert toolkit. This can be used whether the company decides to have the work certified or not.

What does a company get from working with the Carbon Trust as well as a consultancy?

A company can decide to produce a product carbon footprint to PAS 2050. However, working with the Carbon Trust also offers: -

1. The benefit of our experience in how to run a product footprinting project.
2. Use of our template and sub-models, secondary data and comparability rules;
3. Comparability with other product carbon footprints certified to the standard of the Carbon Reduction Label (whether or not the company proceeds through certification themselves).
4. Independent and consistent certification of product carbon footprint;
5. For B2B companies, an ability to pass on certified product footprint numbers to corporate customers. This allows those corporate customers to more easily create their own product carbon footprints.
6. Ability to label the product – or at least to have the option at a later date. This enables a company to communicate the product's carbon footprint to its customers and its ongoing commitment to reduce.

Early involvement of the Carbon Trust in a project minimises duplication of work and is especially important in the case of products which have not been certified before. The involvement of the Carbon Trust from the beginning of the project therefore will reduce the overall cost of the project.

What training do you offer to consultancies?

The Carbon Trust provides a minimum of a half day training in use of our templates and sub-models, but we do not currently offer general training courses in product carbon footprinting.

Much of the information that is required to undertake the footprinting process is freely available in the PAS2050 and the accompanying guide. www.bsigroup.com/PAS2050

Do you subcontract work to consultancies?

We typically don't subcontract work to consultancies because we don't need to. Most carbon footprinting work is undertaken either by companies themselves or by consultancies that they have hired directly. The client then usually contracts separately with the Carbon Trust for our advice (and certification and / or communication) services. The Carbon Trust also signs comprehensive Confidentiality Agreements with both the client company and the consultant.

When the Carbon Trust started its product carbon footprinting pilot in 2007, a panel of consultancies were selected through a tender process to assist with the pilots. Following the publication of the PAS 2050 in October 2008 the pilot phase came to an end. We are not looking to go through a similar tendering process again, but are keen to help build the number and capabilities of experienced consultancies in this area.

Is there a standard commercial agreement that you have with new consultancies?

The Carbon Trust has a standard Confidentiality Agreement that we will sign with consultancies.

So who provides the independent certification?

Because the initiative is still very new - the PAS 2050 was only published in October 2008 – the Carbon Trust is currently the only organisation that can certify to the Carbon Reduction Label.

We are now working with other certification bodies to allow them to certify against all the requirements for comparable footprints and for the Carbon Reduction Label. This is being done through participation in a PAS 2050 accreditation pilot scheme managed by UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service). This process will complete in December 2009.