DWK GmbH, a manufacturer of glassware for laboratory environments, has commissioned the Wuppertal Institute to conduct a study to determine and optimise the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of its products. The study has three objectives:
- Development of a robust, comprehensible and replicable calculation method for the PCF
- Provision of a tool for PCF optimisation that DWK can integrate into its own software
- Allocation and attribution of PCF results for integration into the company's corporate carbon footprint in accordance with the GHG Protocol
The study uses a life cycle assessment approach in accordance with the current ISO 14067 and ISO 14040/44 standards. The material and energy flows from cradle to gate are characterised in the form of greenhouse gas emissions. On this basis, the researchers develop a generic but DWK-specific calculation model that maps the effects of parameterised changes. For the allocation and attribution of the PCF results, the material and energy flows in production are applied to the entire product portfolio, using the same calculation logic. For this purpose, emissions are divided according to the GHG Protocol into Scope 1 (direct emissions at DKW’s site in Mainz, Germany), Scope 2 (indirect emissions through purchased energy) and Scope 3 (indirect emissions from upstream chains). The calculations are designed to allow for a direct integration into the Corporate Carbon Footprint as well as continuous updating by DWK.