How Do You Calculate A Carbon Footprint?

How do you calculate a carbon footprint? 

A carbon footprint represents the volume of greenhouse gas emitted by... a country, an industry, a business, a means of transportation, a product or a person. 

The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (

CO2

See Carbon Dioxide

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). 

This carbon footprint can be expressed in different ways depending on what it measures. 

Example: in tons, kilos and grams of CO2 emitted when manufacturing a product... ...but also, in grams of CO2/km when referring to a vehicle’s energy consumption. 

But how do you calculate the carbon footprint for a product, for example? 

There are different rules and methods. 

What do they have in common? Many take into account the overall life cycle of a product for a more realistic and accurate calculation. 

Example: For a car, the calculation is made by taking into account the extraction of raw materials and the energy needed to manufacture its components, its assembly, shipping, the production of fuel to run the car, and its use before being recycled. 

Calculating the carbon footprint allows you to compare different lifestyles or different countries, for example, according to their ecological impact. In doing so, it allows eco-conscious people to limit the

environmental impact

Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting f...

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of their activities or their consumption. 

Summary:

• A carbon footprint represents the volume of greenhouse gas emitted.
• For a product, it is most often calculated by taking into account all stages of the product’s life cycle.
• For a car: extraction of raw materials, energy for manufacturing, shipping, use and

  recycling

  Any waste treatment process that uses materials from identical or similar end-of-life product...

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  .