Product carbon footprint (PCF) and life cycle assessment (LCA) explained
What a product carbon footprint is, how life cycle assessment works under ISO 14040, 14044 and 14067, cradle-to-gate versus cradle-to-grave, EPDs, and why export buyers ask Indian suppliers for PCFs.
Overview
A product carbon footprint (PCF) is the total greenhouse gas emissions and removals linked to one unit of a product across its life cycle, expressed in kg CO2e. It is calculated using life cycle assessment (LCA) methods set out in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, with ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard giving the carbon-specific rules.
Photo: "IISCO, Steel Plant, Burnpur" by Aloke Kumar Chatterjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Export buyers, vehicle makers and large brands increasingly ask Indian suppliers for PCFs. This guide explains what a PCF is, how it is built, which standards apply as of October 2026, and how an Indian manufacturer can start.
Sources: ISO 14067:2018 Greenhouse gases: Carbon footprint of products (ISO catalogue); ISO 14040:2006 Life cycle assessment: Principles and framework (ISO catalogue); ISO 14040:2006/Amd 1:2020 (ISO catalogue); ISO 14044:2006 Life cycle assessment: Requirements and guidelines (ISO catalogue); ISO 14044:2006/Amd 2:2020 (ISO catalogue); ISO 14064-3:2019 (ISO catalogue); GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (2011); European Commission: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism; Regulation (EU) 2023/956 establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (EUR-Lex); Central Electricity Authority, CO2 Baseline Database for the Indian Power Sector, User Guide Version 22.0 (August 2026); ISO 14068:2026 Climate change management: Carbon neutrality (ISO committee page; replaces ISO 14068-1:2023)
This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked by the GreenEye team against the sources shown in each section.
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