A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) measures the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout a product’s lifecycle. This footprint includes all stages, from raw material extraction to consumer or user disposal, expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).

For farmers, the carbon footprint starts with agricultural activities such as planting, fertilising, and harvesting. These activities often involve significant emissions from machinery, energy use and inputs like fertilisers and pesticides. Sustainable farming practices can reduce these emissions and the overall carbon footprint. Post-harvest, emissions continue during processing, transportation to manufacturers, and then onto consumers.

The data collection process for calculating a product’s carbon footprint adheres to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and international standards, ensuring comprehensive recording of all emissions. This involves tracking direct emissions from on-site activities (Scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, and steam (Scope 2), and other indirect emissions occurring along the supply chain, including both upstream and downstream activities (Scope 3). Accurate data collection requires detailed record-keeping of fuel and energy use, materials and inputs, waste management, and transportation logistics.

Understanding a product’s carbon footprint not only highlights CO2 hotspots in the product’s lifecycle but also allows farmers to implement targeted strategies to reduce emissions, helping combat climate change. Moreover, a lower carbon footprint can differentiate a product in the market, meet the growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, and provide a competitive edge.

Got more questions? Search the PCF page on the Knowledge Hub, or reach out to our team using farmers@bx.tech.