Carbon Footprint Verification

In general terms, the Carbon Footprint is the sum of greenhouse gas emissions which are emitted directly or indirectly by people, services or products at a certain time or over a certain period. The higher the emissions, the larger the carbon footprint; the lower the emissions, the smaller the footprint and the less impact on the climate.

The sum of all the greenhouse gas emissions represents the carbon footprint. It may be that upon closer consideration, emissions can be avoided or reduced at source. All those that remain can be voluntary offset through the purchase of carbon offset certificates, so-called carbon credits. This is referred to as “Carbon Neutrality” or reference can be made to “carbon neutral” organizations or products etc.

You are free to select the area of application for the verification of the Carbon Footprint, and this is noted on the certificate. It can apply for example to one specific site, all sites in Germany, all branches in Europe, all production facilities, Product X or all products from Brand XY. Areas which are not taken into account are also noted. The inventory boundary for the verification can also be freely selected, but should include all the relevant emission sources (95 %). For the Product Carbon Footprint, a choice has to be made between two approaches: “Cradle to gate” and “Cradle to grave”. 

No, as we are an independent assessment body, by law we are not permitted to verify our own work. The carbon footprint calculation (inventory) which takes place before the verification itself has to be provided by our client or by a consultant commissioned by our client. We will be pleased to send a list of consultants upon request. 

The time period between the audit and the issue of the certificate is generally between 2 and 5 weeks. Please remember that data has to be prepared before the audit, and the inventory calculation along with the relevant evidences have to be presented for the audit itself.