Product Carbon Footprint
Calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from connection and control cables
Sustainability is at the heart of LAPP's corporate strategy. An important part of this is calculating the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). This summarises all the greenhouse gases emitted by a product in the various phases of its life cycle and provides answers to the increasingly important question in the pursuit of climate neutrality: How high are the greenhouse gas emissions of our products?
To find out, we analysed the Product Carbon Footprint for our ÖLFLEX® cable solution. Our calculations and results were independently verified by DEKRA. This enables us to provide transparent and well-founded information on the greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacture of our products (cradle-to-gate).
Our goal is to calculate the Product Carbon Footprint for other products in our portfolio and, in the next step, to take measures to reduce the climate impact of our products.
The product carbon footprint – or CO₂ footprint – often abbreviated to PCF for short, records all greenhouse gases in the unit of measurement CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) that a product produces during its life cycle. The "e" stands for "equivalents" and describes all other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, including methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases). In addition to carbon dioxide (CO₂), it is included in calculating the PCF.
The unit of measurement CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) can be used to compare the climate impact of different greenhouse gases, as they are set in relation to the climate impact of CO₂. The mass of greenhouse gases emitted and removed is multiplied by the Global Warming Potential (GWP) 100 specified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. GWP 100 describes the global warming potential for a period of 100 years. This illustrates the short-term effects of climate change.
The calculation of the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) helps to quantify the emissions of our connectivity solutions and thus creates an understanding of the product's impact on climate change.
This can be used to derive measures for reducing the carbon footprint and identify potential areas for optimisation.
The analysis of the product carbon footprint can be incorporated into the development of CO2-reduced products, improvement of production processes, strategic planning and serves to prepare for future legislation and industry standards.
At the same time, the disclosure of a product carbon footprint increases transparency and is relevant for our customers' Scope 3 reporting and decarbonisation strategies, for example.
LAPP calculates all greenhouse gas emissions according to the cradle-to-gate principle. This means we look at the product life cycle of the manufacturing phase of our products: from raw material extraction (cradle) to production and delivery to our logistics centres, including storage and packaging, until the product leaves the logistics centre (gate).
A central task is the collection of a comprehensive data basis for a valid calculation of the CO₂ footprint. Data on energy consumption, materials, transport, packaging and waste generation is collected for each phase of a product's life cycle. If available, LAPP uses primary data from suppliers for CO₂ emissions. This ensures high data quality. Where this information is missing, LAPP draws on secondary data from a global CO₂ database to ensure completeness with transparent, traceable and up-to-date data.
To calculate CO₂ emissions, the amount of each input and output during the manufacturing phase is multiplied by the respective emission factor. All CO₂ emissions are then added together to give the product carbon footprint. ISO 14067 forms the normative basis for quantifying the PCF.
LAPP has created an accounting standard based on the international standard ISO 14067. The accounting standard describes the LAPP-specific methodology for calculating the PCF. In addition to a uniform procedure, the standard also defines uniform specifications for the calculation method, assumptions and data sources, thus ensuring a standardised calculation of the PCF within the product portfolio.
The accounting standard for our ÖLFLEX® portfolio have been independently tested and verified by DEKRA. The critical audit was carried out by DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH in accordance with ISO/TS 14071.
We will be happy to provide you with further information on request.
The product carbon footprint from different manufacturers is currently not comparable. Even the choice of a different calculation basis – for example, the use of a different CO₂ database for default values – can lead to varying results, even though the same standard was used. To tackle this problem, the EU is working on standards and guidelines that should provide better comparability and more transparency for consumers and companies. All PCF calculations at LAPP are carried out in accordance with a uniform accounting standard based on ISO 14067, so that comparability within the LAPP portfolio can be ensured.