Product carbon footprint

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.

he 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.

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, i.e. 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 procurement 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.

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, as well as a significant part of the PCF results in the area of power and control cables, 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 CO₂ footprint of products 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. This ensures comparability within the LAPP portfolio.