Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in consumer and commercial products

We have developed a database of 866 product carbon footprints which quantify the product's embedded GHG emissions. The novel database is derived from data which companies submitted to CDP, for public disclosure, comprising years 2013-2017, 145 companies, 30 GICS industries, and 28 countries worldwide. Accounting for all GHG across its life cycle, a typical product causes CO₂eq of 6.3 times its own weight. This carbon intensity (CI, kg CO₂eq divided by product’s mass) varies strongly between sectors, from 0.9 for construction & commercial materials to 34 for computer, IT, & telecom. Products’ upstream GHG (e.g., raw material acquisition or transport to the company’s manufacturing site) are on average 45% of total GHG, and downstream GHG (e.g., distribution or energy use during use phase) account for 32%. This shows that the majority of a typical product’s GHG arise from activities outside the manufacturing company’s own operations. Products’ individual CIs vary widely, from 0.11 to 973, with a strong correlation (0.47, p<0.05) to the relative portion of downstream GHG. This shows that differences in downstream processes are particularly relevant in driving low or high overall CIs. Support from CoClear and Columbia University's NetImpact chapter are gratefully acknowledged.