World of Product Carbon Footprinting

So here I find myself, after my Masters course and by some miracle or fluke, have a job!! I definitely think my investment into this blog has been worth it, and I owe it to it to continue writing : ).

From now on, I will live and breathe product carbon footprinting. I know it doesn't sound sexy, but yes, I've been convinced and now believe in the mission of consumption end carbon reduction. I'd like to even believe that I'm helping saving the world!! haha.

In a nutshell, the world of carbon is semi-regulated and from the production end. This means that carbon emissions 'leaks' to those countries where carbon is not regulated at point of production. In essence, emissions from regulated countries may decline but in fact rise overall because emissions are outsourced elsewhere, and imported back in through products.

Hence the need to reduce carbon from point of consumption. Because this will trace the emissions all the way to the unregulated countries. If companies see it in their interest to decarbonise their supply chains, then carbon reduction can be made in non-regulated countries.

It's such a huge, mind-blowing project. In order to make this all happen, we first have to measure the embedded carbon in all products that we consume, and then make a business (or marketing) case for reducing them. Just the measurement part requires a definitive encyclopaedia of all production processes, inputs, raw materials and emission factors that are universally applicable by all companies so that the end numbers are meaningful and can be compared.

Yep, this is what I will be doing. Mapping out the carbon flows of the entire world, from the engine of a Boeing 747-400 to dried manure kept indoors for 3 months.

But yes, with me, it will be done!