ISO 14067: how to measure a product's carbon footprint?

What is the true carbon impact of your products? The ISO 14067 standard allows you to measure their emissions across the entire life cycle and identify levers to reduce their environmental footprint.

Sophie Gosteau
Climate copywriter
Publication : 
23.10.2026
Table of Contents
Example H2
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🔎 Key takeaways

  • ISO 14067 provides a method for calculating the carbon footprint of a product or service, based on the principles of life cycle assessment.
  • The assessment can cover all or part of the life cycle, from raw materials to end-of-life, with results expressed in CO₂e per functional unit.
  • It differs from an organizational GHG inventory : ISO 14067 analyzes a product, whereas a carbon footprint measures an organization's emissions.
  • A product carbon footprint helps identify the highest emission sources, guide eco-design, procurement, and decarbonization efforts, and better document certain Scope 3 emissions.

Measuring a company's greenhouse gas emissions is not always enough to understand which products contribute most to its carbon footprint. This is precisely what ISO 14067 allows you to analyze by measuring the carbon footprint of the various products you manufacture. 

What is the ISO 14067 standard?

The ISO 14067 standard was developed by the International Organization for Standardization. It specifies the principles, requirements, and guidelines for assessing the climate impact of a product or service (SDG 13).

The main objective of the standard is to provide a consistent and reproducible method for determining a product's carbon footprint. 

ISO 14067 is directly linked to the ISO 14040andISO 14044, which govern life cycle assessment (LCA). 

  • ISO 14040 defines the principles and general framework for LCA.
  • ISO 14044 specifies the requirements and guidelines for conducting an LCA.

TheISO 14064 belongs to the same family of standards dedicated to greenhouse gases, but it focuses on a different subject: 

  • ISO 14040 and 14044 standards define how to conduct an LCA
  • ISO 14067 applies this LCA logic to measure the carbon footprint of a product
  • ISO 14064 allows for the quantification, reporting, and verification of an organization's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

What does ISO 14067 measure?

TheISO 14067 measures a product's carbon footprint: this footprint corresponds to the total sum of GHG emissions and removals associated with a product's life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life, expressed in CO₂e (CO₂ equivalent).

The goal is to determine how much CO₂e is associated with a given unit of product.

ISO 14067 is based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach.

Depending on the chosen scope, the study can cover: raw materials → production → transport → distribution → use → end-of-life

The exact scope must be defined at the start of the study. A footprint can thus be calculated "cradle-to-grave" or over a more limited scope, such as "cradle-to-gate."

For example, for an automobile, the assessment can take into account emissions related to:

  • the production of raw materials;
  • to manufacturing and processing;
  • to transport and distribution;
  • to product use;
  • to its end-of-life.

A broader scope avoids focusing solely on emissions directly generated by the manufacturer, when a significant portion of the footprint may occur upstream or downstream.

For the result to be interpretable, the footprint must be related to a functional unit.

The functional unit describes the function or service provided by the product and serves as the reference to which the results are related.

This can be: 

  • 1 kg of material;
  • 1 kWh of electricity supplied;
  • 1,000 km traveled for a vehicle;
  • 1 wash cycle for laundry detergent.

This step allows for the comparison of products that fulfill the same function.

Once the scope and functional unit are defined, an inventory of the flows required for the calculation must be established.

The data to be collected may include:

  • quantities of raw materials used;
  • electricity and fuel consumption;
  • transport;
  • industrial processes;
  • consumption related to usage;
  • waste and its treatment;
  • inbound and outbound flows associated with the various stages of the product's life cycle.

We distinguish between: 

  • the primary data, collected directly from the organization's departments or the supply chain.
  • and the secondary data, sourced from recognized databases, used when primary data cannot be obtained.

The collected data is then converted into GHG emissions using appropriate characterization or conversion factors.

Example:

Quantity consumed × emission factor = GHG emissions

If a stage requires 1,000 kWh of electricity and the selected emission factor is 50 g CO₂e/kWh:

1,000 × 50 = 50,000 g CO₂e, or 50 kg CO₂e

The calculation is performed for the various life cycle flows. The emissions of the different GHGs are then converted into CO₂ equivalentso they can be added together.

For example, we get: 2.8 kg CO₂e per functional unit

This is the value that constitutes the product's carbon footprint.

ISO 14067, the carbon footprint assessment and LCA are related concepts. We will look at what sets them apart.

ISO 14067, carbon footprint assessment, and LCA: what are the differences?

Criterion ISO 14067 Corporate GHG Assessment LCA
Objective Measure the carbon footprint of a product or service Assess the GHG emissions of an organization Assess the environmental impacts of a product, service, or system
Scale of analysis Product or service Organization Product or service across its life cycle
Primary standard ISO 14067 standard, based on LCA principles and aligned with ISO 14040/14044 Bilan Carbone® method; other organizational frameworks exist, including the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1 ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards
Scope / Boundary Product life cycle stages, according to the selected boundary Direct and indirect emissions related to the activity, according to defined scopes Life cycle according to the scope of the study
Stages studied Raw materials, manufacturing, transport, use, and end of life, according to the boundary Energy, purchasing, travel, freight, capital goods, use of sold products, etc. Resource extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use, and end of life
Indicators measured Impact on climate change (GHG) Greenhouse gas emissions Several impacts: climate, resources, water, acidification, eutrophication, etc.
Unit of result kg or t CO₂e per functional or declared unit Generally t CO₂e for the organization and its reporting period Several indicators, with different units depending on impacts
Functional unit Yes, or declared unit depending on the case No product functional unit; results reported to the organization and a period Yes: defines the service delivered to which impacts are related
Required data Activity data and emission factors related to the product and its life cycle Activity data of the organization: energy, purchases, travel, capital goods, etc. Inventory of material and energy flows, emissions, and mobilized resources
Primary purpose Quantify the carbon footprint of a product consistently Identify emission sources and define a reduction strategy for the organization Identify main environmental impacts and impact shifting between stages
Use cases Calculate the carbon footprint of a computer, material, or packaging Build the decarbonization trajectory of a company Compare the environmental impacts of solutions fulfilling the same function

Why use ISO 14067 in a business?

Using ISO 14067 allows an organization to:

  • identify the most carbon-intensive stages of a product's life cycle.
  • prioritize decarbonization actions. By identifying the areas that contribute most to the carbon footprint, the company can focus its efforts on the most significant levers.
  • compare different design options
  • and thereby support an eco-design approach. The results can guide design choices to reduce emissions across the entire life cycle and improve the product's environmental performance.

Here are some examples of levers for reducing a product's carbon footprint according to ISO 14067 principles: 

  • prioritize responsible and local suppliers;
  • limit or eliminate packaging;
  • reduce unnecessary components;
  • decarbonize and optimize transport;
  • design robust and easily repairable products, etc.

ISO 14067 also makes it possible to:

  • meet the demands of customers and contractors. Companies can rely on documented carbon footprint data to respond to supplier questionnaires, calls for tenders, and their customers' decarbonization requirements.
  • improve understanding of Scope 3 and the value chain. Carbon footprint data for purchased or sold products helps refine the calculation of a company's indirect emissions.

Thus, ISO 14067 is not just for calculating a figure in kg CO₂e. It helps the company understand the source of emissions associated with its products, identify reduction levers, and support its decisions with more reliable data.

This is the point we will now develop: how to integrate the PCF into the company's climate strategy.

How to integrate the Product Carbon Footprint into your climate strategy?

Calculating a product's carbon footprint is a first step. The next step for the organization is to integrate the insights from the analysis into its operational decisions and decarbonization strategy.

This involves:

  • moving from measurement to action. Carbon footprint analysis makes it possible to identify the most emission-intensive stages of the life cycle and the main reduction levers. The company can then define an action plan and set goals for the relevant teams to improve the environmental performance of production.
  • integrating results into product and purchasing decisions. Carbon footprint data can guide choices regarding materials, suppliers, and manufacturing processes. Purchasing teams can use them to compare supplier offers and incorporate carbon criteria into their decisions. This is known as a policy ofresponsible purchasing.
  • tracking the evolution of product carbon intensity. By regularly recalculating the carbon footprint, the company can measure the progress made.
  • linking product footprint with the overall emissions reduction trajectory. The results of product analyses can inform the company's climate strategy, particularly by improving knowledge of certain Scope 3 emissions..

The product carbon footprint then becomes a management tool for the climate strategy of the organization, guiding design decisions, procurement, investments, and the tracking of climate goals.

Conclusion

ISO 14067 allows you to move beyond a company-wide carbon overview and drill down to the level of individual products and services for a much more granular understanding of their climate impact.

This makes it a valuable tool for managing an organization's climate strategy.