LCA and carbon footprint: what are the differences?

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint are two distinct analysis methods, whether in terms of their scope of application, the time scale, the objectives or the impacts assessed.

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However, they share similarities: these two methods have established themselves as references for evaluating the environmental impacts of a company, product or service and they aim for the same sustainability objective.

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So how do you know which one to use in a particular case? How are they really different? We explain all this to you in 10 questions!

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1) What is carbon footprint and life cycle assessment (LCA)?

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The carbon footprint

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The carbon footprint is an analysis method that is limited to quantifying the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) associated with an activity, organization or product. Doing your carbon footprint therefore means taking a picture at a “T” moment of all the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to your company's activities.

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Life cycle analysis (LCA)

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Multi-criteria life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analysis method that comprehensively assesses the environmental impacts of a product, service or process throughout its life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life. There are several types of LCA: ISO Compliant LCA, screening LCA, carbon LCA. To understand everything about LCA, we advise you our dedicated article.

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2) What fields of application for carbon footprint and LCA?

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The scope of application of these two methods differs:

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• The carbon footprint was initially developed for companies but it can also be applied to projects, events, products, individuals, etc.

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• LCA can be applied to a variety of sectors, products, or services. We realize one LCA per product or service but we can multiply LCA if we want to analyze the environmental impacts of several products or services!

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3) What are the objectives of LCA and carbon footprint?

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The main aim of both methods is to assess the environmental impacts of an activity, product or service and thus enable the company to act to reduce them.

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However, these two tools are different and are used in different cases since they do not allow the same objectives to be achieved:

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• The objective of the carbon footprint is to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions that an individual or a company emits in order to realize its dependence on carbon and support efforts to reduce its emissions.

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• The objective of LCA is to understand the overall environmental impact of a product or service in order to identify the stages in its life cycle where improvements can be made.

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4) What timeframe is taken into account for each of these analyses?

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The time scale is not the same for these two methods.

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• The carbon footprint is generally concentrated over an annual period and primarily assesses a company's greenhouse gas emissions during this period.

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• The LCA takes into account and encompasses the entire life cycle of a product or service, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life of the product. So there is no concept of temporality when talking about LCA. This may include the production, transport, use, and disposal of waste at the end of life. With a LCA you can measure the environmental impacts of a product over several years until it reaches the waste stage.

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5) What impacts are evaluated as part of a LCA and a carbon footprint?

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The LCA and the carbon footprint differ in terms of the impacts assessed.

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• The carbon footprint

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The scope of analysis of the carbon footprint is less broad than that of LCA since it includes an approach based on a single criterion and is limited exclusively to accounting for greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, methane, etc.). Thanks to this method, a company can therefore become aware of the impact of its activity on global warming.

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To carry out your carbon footprint, you take into account carbon emissions from Scopes 1, 2 and 3. 

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• Life cycle assessment

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For its part, LCA makes it possible to zoom in on the impact not only on climate but also on the environment of one or more products or services. It integrates a multi-criteria approach and provides us with a holistic vision environmental impacts. 

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LCA brings together all the incoming and outgoing flows related to each phase of the life cycle of a product or service. Inputs may include raw materials or energy (such as oil, electricity, water), while outputs include waste, emissions, or discarded liquids.

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Among the wide range of environmental impacts evaluated by LCA, we find energy consumption, toxicity for humans and biodiversity, water and air pollution, depletion of natural resources, etc.

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6) What are the differences between a product carbone footprint (PCF) and a carbon footprint?  

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As we saw above, there are various types of LCA, including PCF. A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), unlike screening LCA or ISO compliant LCA, is carried out on a single criterion: greenhouse gas emissions. In this respect, the carbon LCA has a point in common with the carbon footprint.

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7) Why do a LCA and its carbon footprint?

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An increasing number of companies want to know the environmental impact of their activities, products or services in order to reduce it. Both LCA and carbon footprint have many advantages and are very useful in practice!

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The carbon footprint and LCA are management tools and supports to help companies understand and make decisions. Both provide crucial information to make the best decisions in terms of eco-design, production processes, supply chain and more generally to enable you to define and effectively apply your CSR strategy.

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However, each of these methods has specific characteristics that make them more or less relevant to implement depending on your activity and your business strategy, especially since they do not meet the same regulatory obligations.

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• The carbon footprint is an essential tool for your company's climate strategy. Mainly used as a tool for managing greenhouse gas emissions, it will be particularly useful in everything related to regulatory compliance and environmental communication.

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• For its part, LCA is very useful and relevant:

- if you want to start eco-design: for a company to be able to improve the environmental performance of its products, you still need to know it. LCA is useful for allowing you to identify opportunities for improvement at different stages of the product lifecycle, without risking greater impacts at other stages.

- for environmental labelling of your products and services.

- to communicate on the environmental performance of your products or services.

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On this subject, you can consult our article: which LCA for which strategy?

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8) Can you communicate about your carbon footprint or your LCA?

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The answer is yes, the results from these analyses are often used to publicly and transparently communicate the environmental performance of a company or product.

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Please note, concerning LCA, to communicate publicly on the impact of one of your products, you must conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards (therefore a multi-criteria ISO Compliant LCA), accompanied by a report evaluated by expert third parties!

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9) What should you do first between your carbon footprint and a LCA?

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Not sure where to start? There is no right or wrong method! What is important is to first opt for the method that best suits your business strategy. To help you, here are some answers.

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The carbon footprint is faster and easier to interpret. First, it allows you to take stock of your emissions and define a trajectory to reduce them. Carrying out your carbon footprint allows you to have an initial vision of your environmental impact, even if it is a very global vision and only on the “climate change” indicator.

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As for LCA, it can intervene later to allow your company to go further by specifically targeting one of your products or services!

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10) Who can you support in carrying out your LCA and carbon footprint?

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It is essential to be supported by experts to carry out your LCA and your carbon footprint.

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Sami supports companies in their climate strategy, and in particular helps them to measure and reduce their CO2 emissions.

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Conclusion

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LCA and carbon footprint are not mutually exclusive methods but are indeed complementary. By integrating them into your CSR strategy, your company can comprehensively understand its environmental impacts and identify ways to improve your overall environmental performance.

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To go further, we recommend that you read these two articles:

“Understanding everything with life cycle analysis (LCA)”

“The carbon footprint is an essential tool for business strategy”