What Is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in CO2 equivalents, that result from the activities of a person, a product, or an organisation over a defined period. The concept gives climate reporting a common currency: instead of debating which activities are more harmful, stakeholders can compare numbers that use the same unit of measure.

Footprints are typically examined in two categories. The personal footprint covers the emissions an individual is responsible for, while the corporate footprint covers the emissions linked to an organisation's operations.

1. Personal Carbon Footprint

Primary personal footprint covers the direct CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used by an individual, including the electricity and gas consumed at home and the fuel used in cars, flights, and other transport.

Secondary personal footprint covers the indirect CO2 emissions tied to the life cycle of the products a person buys, from manufacture through to disposal.

Corporate Carbon Footprint

A corporate carbon footprint captures the emissions associated with an organisation's yearly operations. It is usually split into three components.

Direct (primary) footprint: CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels under the organisation's direct control, including energy use on site and in company-owned vehicles.

Indirect (secondary) footprint: CO2 emissions tied to the life cycle of the goods the organisation uses, from production through to end of life.

Other indirect footprint: emissions from subcontracted activities, fuel used in leased vehicles, and business travel by employees across sea, land, and air. Because most of the underlying data comes from third parties, this category is the most demanding to calculate. As reporting obligations expand, the data flow between firms of every size is becoming easier to trace.

Sistem Patent Kalite supports organisations through the full calculation, from scoping the boundary and collecting activity data to preparing a footprint report ready for verification under ISO 14064 or the GHG Protocol.