Carbon Footprinting, EPDs and Environmental Labels
What this domain tests
This domain tests the rules behind product carbon footprints and environmental declarations: ISO 14067, ISO 14025, PCRs, programme operators, verification, and label types.
Core rules and concepts
- ISO 14067 specifies quantification of a product's carbon footprint using the ISO 14040/14044 framework, focused on GWP. It requires boundary and data disclosure and does not by itself authorise public comparative claims.
- ISO 14025 governs Type III environmental declarations, commonly EPDs. They use product category rules, a programme operator, and independent verification.
- ISO 14024 covers Type I environmental labels with preset criteria. ISO 14021 covers Type II self-declared claims.
- EPDs are not automatically comparable across different PCRs. Construction EPDs often follow EN 15804.
Worked example
A coffee roaster calculates 5 kg CO2e per kg of roasted beans from cradle to gate, excluding brewing and waste. The result may be reported as a cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint, but it cannot be called the full life-cycle carbon footprint. If the company wants an EPD, it must use the relevant PCR, declare the modules, and have the declaration verified by the programme operator. A marketing claim that the coffee is "carbon neutral" would need separate substantiation of reductions and offsets.
Traps that cost marks
- Calling an EPD a carbon footprint when it covers multiple indicators.
- Comparing EPDs built on different PCRs or module sets.
- Omitting a life-cycle stage and still calling the result cradle-to-grave.
- Treating verification as a guarantee of low impact.
- Using offsets to replace inventory disclosure.