Overview
EN ISO 14067:2018 - Greenhouse gases - Carbon footprint of products - Requirements and guidelines for quantification (ISO 14067:2018) defines principles, requirements and guidance for quantifying and reporting the carbon footprint of a product (CFP). The standard is explicitly aligned with life cycle assessment (LCA) standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 and applies to full and partial CFP studies. It addresses a single impact category - climate change (greenhouse gas emissions and removals) - and excludes carbon offsetting, broader environmental, social or economic assessments, and communication protocols outside its scope.
Key topics and requirements
- Goal and scope definition: establish the purpose of the CFP study, functional or declared unit, and system boundaries (including use and end-of-life stages).
- Life cycle perspective: apply cradle-to-grave or other life cycle approaches consistent with ISO 14040/14044.
- Data and data quality: specify data collection, validation, time boundaries and data quality requirements for robust CFP quantification.
- Inventory analysis: compile greenhouse gas emissions and removals across unit processes and relate them to the functional or declared unit.
- Allocation and recycling: provide procedures for dealing with co-products, recycled content and material recovery (see annexes for guidance).
- Biogenic carbon and land use: treat biogenic carbon flows and land-use-related emissions/removals according to specified guidance.
- Impact assessment: translate inventory results into climate change impact indicators (single impact category focus).
- Interpretation and reporting: prepare CFP study reports with required and optional information; present greenhouse gas values transparently to avoid double-counting.
- Critical review and limitations: include provisions for independent review where applicable; normative annexes outline limitations, comparison methods, and sector guidance (e.g., agriculture and forestry).
Applications
EN ISO 14067:2018 is used to:
- Generate repeatable, comparable carbon footprint of products for product improvement and internal sustainability management.
- Provide a technical basis for product-level greenhouse gas accounting used in procurement, supply‑chain engagement, and environmental management decision-making.
- Support voluntary product-related CFP studies that form the basis for subsequent applications (e.g., environmental declarations), noting that communication formats and offsetting are outside the standard’s scope.
Who should use it
- LCA practitioners and sustainability consultants
- Product manufacturers and R&D teams seeking product-level GHG quantification
- Environmental managers, procurement and supply-chain professionals
- Certification bodies and auditors performing independent CFP reviews
Related standards
- ISO 14040 - Life cycle assessment - Principles and framework
- ISO 14044 - Life cycle assessment - Requirements and guidelines
Keywords: EN ISO 14067:2018, ISO 14067, carbon footprint of products, CFP, life cycle assessment, LCA, greenhouse gases, quantification, product carbon footprint.
