An Easier Way to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Practical methods and examples help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular to calculate product-related CO₂ emissions and meet new sustainability requirements.
August 7, 2026
Source: E & M powernews
Determining a product’s carbon footprint across the entire value chain is a challenge. New guidelines are designed to help.
The “Factory-X” project has published the “PCF Guidance,” which is designed to support companies in the standardized calculation of the carbon footprint (Product Carbon Footprint, PCF) of their products. According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU), which is participating in the project, the document supplements the previously published “Catena-X PCF Rulebook” with specific calculation methods and practical examples. The guide is aimed particularly at small and medium-sized enterprises.
This initiative comes against the backdrop of increasing regulatory requirements for the collection of climate and emissions data. With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the phased introduction of the Digital Product Passport under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the need for standardized product CO2 data along the supply chain is growing. Many suppliers are already being asked by their customers to provide such data.
The guide describes how a product’s carbon footprint can be calculated from raw material extraction to the factory gate (cradle-to-gate) using process, material, energy, and logistics data. Among other things, it explains how to handle system boundaries, cut-off rules, and the consolidation of emissions data from in-house production and the supply chain.
A key focus is on the cause-based allocation of energy and material consumption to individual products. Using three calculation examples—a milled part, a forged part, and an additively manufactured shock absorber fork—the guide illustrates calculation methods, data sources, and how to account for scrap, packaging, and transportation. In addition, the guide also addresses the allocation of emissions in multi-product manufacturing.
According to the project partners, the data described in the guide can be exchanged in a standardized manner between suppliers and customers via the Factory-X data room without compromising companies’ data sovereignty. In addition to Fraunhofer IWU, the Dortmund-based research project Estainium, Siemens, and other partners were involved in developing the guide.
Author: Katia Meyer-Tien