Why it matters
Customers, investors and regulators increasingly ask for emissions data at product level. Manufacturers are moving from spreadsheet estimates to systems that calculate footprints across thousands of products.
Product carbon footprints are becoming a commercial requirement as well as a reporting one. Customers use them to compare suppliers, and inconsistent methods make comparisons difficult, so manufacturers are investing in transparent, auditable calculations.
By the numbers
10,000+companies had science-based emissions targets validated by January 2026 1
3,000+were validated in 2025, more than in any previous year 1
40%+of the 2025 validations came from companies in Asia 1
26×supply chain (Scope 3) emissions are on average 26 times operational emissions 2
What's changing
- Large customers are asking suppliers for product-level emissions data in tenders.
- Sustainability reporting rules such as the CSRD increase scrutiny of value-chain emissions.
- Supplier-specific data is gradually replacing industry averages.
How leaders are responding
- Connecting bills of materials, energy data and supplier data in one calculation model.
- Starting with high-volume or high-emission product families.
- Aligning methods with recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol and ISO 14067.
What good looks like
- Supplier-specific emissions data for the highest-impact materials
- Product footprints calculated with one method across the portfolio
- Data structures ready for EU digital product passports
What to watch
- Digital product passports under EU ecodesign rules.
- Industry data-exchange standards for product footprints.
- Assurance requirements for sustainability data.
Where to start
Pick a product family that matters to key customers, calculate its footprint with documented assumptions, and use the gaps to plan supplier data requests.
Questions for your leadership team
- Which customers are asking for product footprints, and in what format?
- How much of our data comes from suppliers, and how much from averages?
- Who owns the methodology and its assurance?
