Product Carbon Footprint: How standardization will transform the carbon footprint from a climate indicator to an economic factor

The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is calculated according to the International Standard ISO 14067, which builds on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This system ensures that the assessment takes into account not only the manufacturing process of the end product, but also the entire product life cycle including its raw materials, production methods, distribution patterns, and its use phase. Ultimately, the LCA represents how a product is manufactured, transported, used, and even disposed of at the end of its life, as well as the environmental impact the product has in each phase of its life cycle.

The result is a reliable figure for a product’s direct and indirect emissions, calculated using the methods set out in ISO 14067. Such a calculation can take into account parameters such as transport and the energy mixture used, but also a product’s end-of-life processes, such as recycling and disposal.

However, ISO 14067 alone does not allow for cross-industry comparability. Manufacturers and LCA service providers may evaluate products or components thereof differently. This is because calculation parameters might be integrated and weighted differently. Direct comparability requires more specific normative provisions to specify which product properties or components properties are to be included and weighted in the life cycle assessment.

IEC General Meeting 2026

The DKE is honored to host the annual event for international electrotechnical standardization. Under the title “Global Development. Driven by Standards.”, around 3,500 guests are expected in Hamburg in November 2026.

This is exactly where standardization using Product Category Rules (PCR) sets in. These rules act as a template to ensure that, for example, two smartphones from different manufacturers can be analyzed and evaluated according to the same set of provisions. They provide a specification of the slightly abstract provisions set out in the ISO standard by defining product categories. In particular, the PCRs define which factors are or are not relevant, and which process steps must be taken into account in the calculation. Furthermore, they provide reliable information on factors such as the power mix, which differ depending on, for example, the location.

In addition to the overarching Product Category Rules, there are the more specific Product Specific Rules (PSRs) to further detail the analysis. The following example illustrates this. In the case of high-consumption products, such as household appliances, the greatest effect on the PCF value has the usage phase of the appliance. However, for electronic products, the manufacturing process generates most of the emissions. The PSRs take these differences into account and also define, for example, special technical features. This makes it easier and fairer to compare smartphones, as the analysis considers not only service life, but also whether users can replace and renew a defective battery or not.

There is a standardized model that represents a product’s environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle: the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Verified by independent experts, the EPD is basically intended to outline the environmental impacts in a transparent and comprehensible manner. It is therefore based on the following two pillars, i.e. the life cycle assessment, which conforms to ISO standards, and the applied Product Category Rules. They will make PCF values comparable and, moreover, understandable to end customers, markets and authorities.

Reliable and readily available PCF values require supplementary (normative) principles. It will continue to be challenging to maintain continuous records of emissions at each stage of the product life cycle, as this involves considerable manual effort. Furthermore, the fact that the value chain generally extends across the entire world makes it difficult to gather and disseminate information comprehensively.

Standardization work is already preparing the future of the PCF. The idea is to automatically collect and summarize data. This requires machine-readable inputs, which are the subject of the standardization work. Currently, the two international Technical Committees IEC/TC 111 and IEC/TC 3/SC 3D are developing two standards to make data machine-readable and, more importantly, interpretable. The standards IEC 63660-1 and IEC 63660-2 will offer two approaches to ensure consistent machine readability, regardless of language, software or location. The objective is to enable the international exchange of robust CO₂ data, from the production of a pentalobe screw to the final smartphone.

Digital Product Passport: Digitalization and the Circular Economy through Standardized Data

Digitalization is here to stay. The world of industrial production recognized this early on, leading to numerous developments, including at the standards level. One such development is the Digital Product Passport, which takes the next step by leveraging digital and standardized information and supports the industrial circular economy in the long term.

An increasing number of countries are essentially requesting reliable PCF data or preparing appropriate requirements. While Europe is promoting the product carbon footprint for regulatory purposes, China is also addressing this issue in view of its ecological necessity. For instance, China will require a PCF declaration for battery products as of 2027. This demonstrates that this issue is gaining recognition, creating a global process with its own dynamics that can develop independently of political engagement.

Therefore, a PCF system that is strictly adjusted to the relevant location and regional conditions would impose a considerable burden with regard to obligatory information. However, internationally applicable and recognized standards support one-time calculations, less bureaucracy, global benefits and, particularly, equal market conditions.

Despite all efforts, the task remains challenging. A well comparable product carbon footprint, as described here, requires an enormous effort, particularly with regard to collecting and providing the necessary data, at least in the beginning. In addition, more aspects of the circular economy will also need to be integrated into a PCF system, such as the use of artificial intelligence. And for sure, political world affairs will constantly affect the product carbon footprint. For example, if transport routes need to be modified, this will lead to an increased fuel consumption.

Although the product carbon footprint is already an everyday business issue for companies, it is the Product Category Rules, the Product Specific Rules and the Environmental Product Declarations that ensure comparability. The introduction of new International Standards will enable digital connections to be established in the future, allowing CO₂ data to be read automatically. And this future is based on work already being carried out at events such as the IEC General Meeting 2026.

In the ideal case, this network and the mental work performed will lay the foundations, which consist of more than just product information. Instead, they will create a global standard that provides real orientation and reliable information for authorities, industry, markets, and end customers.

Standardization in this context will not only provide technical details, but will also set the requirements for a climate-related evaluation of products that are applicable across the world. And the standard we are creating today will describe the world in which Nexus-Norma will live tomorrow.

Editorial note:

The original English-language article appeared on https://www.gm2026.iec.ch/.

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