Carbon Footprint (CFP)

What is the Carbon Footprint, how it is calculated and why it is important to know it

Carbon Footprint is a metric that estimates atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases caused by a product, service, company or individual.


CFP indicates the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emitted into the atmosphere both directly and indirectly by human activities; generally expressed in tons of CO2 equivalent and is in effect a way to track the environmental impact of human activity.

Ethical benefit

The CFP assessment aims to pursue a sustainability agenda by promoting a continuous reduction of impacts in the production process and in the realization of products with reduced environmental footprints and thus more competitive in environmental terms as well.

Strategic benefit

In addition, the CFP is also crucial for business strategies: in a context where suppliers of low-emission products or services are rewarded, the CFP also becomes a tool to highlight one's environmental responsibility activities and policies, according to ESG values.

CFP analysis can be used for the purposes of:

  • Research and development
  • Design sustainable products 
  • Demonstrate corporate commitment to sustainability
  • Respond to stakeholders about its activities

CFP analyses are conducted using a "Cradle to Grave" approach including the assessment of impacts occurring throughout the entire life cycle of the product/service being analyzed. All flows from raw material extraction, energy production and use, to product transformation and transportation processes, and also the use and subsequent disposal/recycling phases are considered.
The analysis also considers in detail the impacts arising from the production of semi-finished products (and accessories) as an integral part of the product unit.

Life Cycle Impact Assessment: carbon footprint calculation

The method used for impact calculation is the GHG protocol. This method provides quantification of GHG emissions and removals in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14067 and ISO 14064-1.

What we can do for you

We follow you in the evaluation process through:

The tool for automated CFP

If you need to perform CFP analysis for multiple products or services, in an automated and rapid manner, learn more about EcoOptimal LCA. The tool was designed by the Project HUB-360 team to be a true ecodesign tool, capable of performing CFP analysis in minutes.