What is the difference between Carbon Footprint and LCA?

Carbon Footprint focuses exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in CO2 equivalent of an organisation, product or event. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a broader analysis evaluating all environmental impacts across the lifecycle: climate change, acidification, eutrophication, resource depletion, toxicity. zeroCO2 offers both: Carbon Footprint (ISO 14067, GHG Protocol) for climate strategies, and full LCA (ISO 14040/14044) for eco-design and comprehensive sustainable decision-making.

What do Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions mean?

GHG Protocol defines three emission scopes: Scope 1 = direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company (boilers, company vehicles, production processes). Scope 2 = indirect emissions from purchased energy (electricity, heat, refrigeration). Scope 3 = all other indirect emissions in the value chain (upstream: procurement, transport, business travel; downstream: product use, end-of-life, investments). Scope 3 typically represents 70-80% of corporate carbon footprint.

How does Carbon Footprint calculation work with zeroCO2?

The zeroCO2 process follows 4 steps: 1) Define analysis boundaries (control or financial approach). 2) Significance analysis of emissive sources by importance, primary data accessibility and intervention potential. 3) Primary data collection via a structured questionnaire covering direct emissions, purchased energy emissions and entire value chain emissions. 4) Carbon footprint report with reduction recommendations, monitoring KPIs and decision-making support. All reports are third-party verifiable in accordance with ISO 14064.

What ISO certifications can I obtain with zeroCO2?

With zeroCO2 your company can obtain: ISO 14064-1 — calculates and certifies the amount of CO2eq generated by your organisation. ISO 14067 — calculates and certifies the amount of CO2eq generated by a specific product or event. Both certifications have international validity and are recognised as quality standards for sustainability. They are prerequisites for CSRD compliance and support anti-greenwashing communication.

What is the difference between Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality?

Carbon Neutrality = zero emissions balance through offsetting (reduce + compensate residuals). Net Zero = reduce emissions by 90%+ from baseline, then compensate only residuals with permanent removal projects. SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) defines Net Zero as deep reduction (≥90% Scope 1-2-3 by 2050), compensating residuals only through permanent removal. zeroCO2 supports both strategies: priority reduction aligned with Net Zero, and Plan Vivo certified nature-based compensation for Carbon Neutrality residuals.

What CSRD support does zeroCO2 offer?

zeroCO2 supports companies through the CSRD process with: Double Materiality Assessment (sustainability impact identification and climate-related risks/opportunities); Scope 1-2-3 emission data collection; ESRS-compliant ESG KPI calculation; climate section preparation for the sustainability report (ESRS E1 — Climate Change); third-party audit preparation support. zeroCO2 provides the environmental data foundation necessary for CSRD reporting, without replacing legal or financial consultants.

Carbon Footprint Calculation & LCA Analysis

Q: Why is it important to measure the Carbon Footprint of my company, product or service?

You cannot set a target for improvement without knowing your starting point. Measuring carbon footprint allows you to quantify environmental impact in objective and scientific terms. This enables you to define transparent, effective objectives, strategies and communications, avoiding greenwashing and strengthening credibility with customers and stakeholders. It is also a prerequisite for CSRD, ISO certifications and Net Zero strategies based on Science Based Targets.

Servizi

Carbon footprint & LCA

Measure your company’s impact on the planet

Calculate the carbon footprint of a product, event or company through the LCA methodology.

FOR YOU

Calculate your emissions with a scientific approach.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for measuring the environmental impact that a product, service, or activity generates on the environment during its entire lifecycle. One of the categories that can be investigated with the LCA methodology is carbon footprint, measuring the climate-changing potential of your activities by quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as their CO2 equivalent. Through our analyses, you can obtain certifications of international significance such as ISO 14064 and ISO 14067. Studying your carbon footprint is the first step to embark on a sustainability journey, in the most scientific way.

What can we measure?

Organization Carbon Footprint

Every business consumes energy, requires travel, and produces waste. With the carbon footprint calculation, we can measure the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions produced by your company’s activities over its lifetime.

Product Carbon Footprint

Every item, from the time it is made to the time it is disposed of, has an impact on the planet. We measure this impact precisely through the calculation of product carbon footprint.

Event Carbon Footprint

Did you know that organizing activities such as a conference or a concert can leave a lasting mark on the environment? You can assess whether and how sustainable your event is by serving a specific calculation of its carbon footprint.

Get a detailed report on your CO2 emissions.

A carbon footprint calculation using the LCA method allows you to assess the environmental impact of your activities by quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in terms of CO2. With an LCA, you can analyze the different stages of the life cycle of your company, event or product, including raw material extraction, production, distribution, use, and disposal.

From raw material sourcing to transportation, from logistics to energy consumption, from processing to disposal, every aspect of organization and production can have an impact on the planet. Calculating your carbon footprint allows you to measure the impacts of different materials, machinery, processes, or providers and to design your products or events in an environmentally sustainable way, for example by reducing the impact of your supply chain or making the performance of a service more efficient. From here on, all we have to do is collect your data and compile the report.

This is how it works:

we define the scope of the analysis, meaning, we determine whether to analyze everything you have control over with your company or everything you have a financial stake in (control or financial approach)
we perform an initial significance analysis of your emissive sources: we evaluate them for importance, accessibility of the primary data, and possibility of intervention.
we set up a questionnaire to collect the primary data needed to calculate your emissions, divided into three categories: direct emissions, emissions from the production of purchased electricity, and emissions from the entire value chain.
we report the calculated emissions in a special carbon footprint report.

Decrease your negative impact on the planet.

You have your carbon footprint calculation. Now what? The analysis you obtained is a key tool for understanding how to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions to optimize and innovate the products, services, or projects you have in your pipeline.

Data is a valuable tool for understanding where and how to take action. With this analysis, you can objectively define your sustainability goals to systematically reduce the negative impact your activities generate on the environment. You can also monitor your progress over time and effectively plan your company’s or organization’s innovation. Making your organization or production strategy more efficient, sustainable and competitive in the marketplace is good for the planet and good for your business too.

Certify your results with ISO standards.

The sustainability journey you start with your business can be documented and recognized internationally with ISO quality standards. With an LCA analysis, your company can obtain various environmental certifications that are valid worldwide.

Here are some:

ISO 14064-1
It certifies the amount of CO2 generated by your company.
ISO 14067
It certifies the amount of CO2 generated by a specific product or event.

Show your commitment, data at hand.

Everyone wants to be part of the conversation about environmental sustainability, but communicating vaguely about a company’s goals, actions, and results on the environment without transparency is not green. It is greenwashing. We don’t like it, nobody does, and we know how to guide you to avoid it, starting with an LCA analysis.

How do we do it? Always start with data: an LCA analysis is concrete and allows you to understand what your impact is. Therefore, it allows you to objectively clarify how you act towards the environment. When you undertake a sustainable strategy with your business and set goals for reducing CO2 emissions, you have many opportunities for innovation: in eco-design, in energy consumption, in the solutions you study for your customers. These opportunities can become an integral part of your communication strategy and a new way to engage your customers and stakeholders with strong arguments. We support you in doing this the right way, without promising the impossible, avoiding sharing notions with little credibility, and avoiding claims that your business could not sustain. Transparency and data are the key to good communication.

BENEFITS

Why an LCA analysis is good for you:

impact

Scientific validity

Obtain internationally recognized ISO sustainability certifications by calculating your carbon footprint, conducting a comprehensive LCA analysis, and developing an effective reduction plan.

Regulatory compliance and certifications

Requirements on emission reporting are becoming increasingly rigorous. Stay ahead of or keep up with market developments: obtain the relevant certifications.

Green Reputation

Companies that can certify a concrete commitment to sustainability gain more trust and loyalty from customers because they are more responsible and virtuous.

Improve your ESG performance

Use numerical markers to quantify your environmental and social commitment, thus improving your ESG performance and stakeholder relations.

Measure your environmental performance

Use an LCA to get a snapshot of the impact your activities generate on the environment and identify areas for improvement.

Access new markets and business opportunities

Business as usual yields nothing new. Keep up with the changing world and make the most of the growth opportunities that sustainability offers.

FAQ

Any questions?

Why is it important to measure the Carbon Footprint of my company/product or service?

You cannot set a target for improvement, without knowing what your starting point is. Measuring the carbon footprint of your company, a product or a service allows you to quantify its impact on the environment in objective and scientific terms. This will enable you to draw up transparent and effective objectives, strategies and communications, avoiding greenwashing and strengthening your credibility with customers and stakeholders.

Our communication services

What will I receive after measuring my Carbon Footprint?

From the gathered data, our team will prepare a scientific study of your carbon footprint. The report will contain details of the methodology used in accordance with ISO standards, a technical account of your emissions with evidence of the different impact items, and our suggestions on possible reduction strategies to tackle the most critical hotspots of emissions in the value chain. The results will also be summarised in ready-to-use texts for you to use the report immediately in your communication. This is not all. If you wish, we will help you continue on your sustainability path by drafting a carbon neutrality reduction and offsetting strategy.

Become carbon neutral with us

How does the Carbon Footprint calculation work? How long does it take?

A carbon footprint study is carried out in collaboration between our team and that of the company, which usually identifies a contact person who will have to gather all the necessary data and documents, most of which can be found in financial statements or other administrative documents. The timing of the study depends very much on the data acquisition time, which, depending also on the complexity of your value chain, can vary from a few days to a few months. During this period, we will assist you with constant feedback and tailored tools, such as commuting questionnaires.

Do I get a certification after pursuing an LCA calculation? Which one?

The carbon fooprint report drawn up by our team, which contains all the information and references to the regulatory framework in force, is in itself a useful tool for your sustainability strategy and transparent communication. To further validate your claims, we suggest you submit it to a third party for international certification. Thanks to our network of contacts, we can take care of the communications with the certification body. Depending on the subject of the analysis, you will then be able to obtain for example an ISO 14064-1 (organisation carbon footprint), ISO 14067 (product carbon footprint and events).

Base your green business strategy on science.

Base your green business strategy on concrete actions and scientific methodologies. Ask us for a carbon footprint calculation and LCA analysis.