PAS 2050 Life cycle green house gas, carbon footprint

PAS 2050 is free to download and use

Now revised from its 2008 edition, PAS 2050:2011 is a publicly available specification providing a method for assessing the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of goods and services (jointly referred to as “products”).

It can be used by organizations of all sizes and types, in any location, to assess the climate change impact of the products they offer.

Originally published in 2008 as the world’s first framework methodology for product carbon footprinting, PAS 2050 is now parent to an expanding family of specifications, providing tailored guidance for individual sectors to enable most effective use of PAS 2050.

The PAS 2050:2011 revision was coupled with the publication of a guidance document. Also free to download, it assists organizations in better understanding the uses of the specification by offering practical advice to organizations wanting to assess the carbon footprint of their products, identify hotspots and reduce emissions in their supply chain.

Why should I use PAS 2050?

While GHG emissions are often viewed at global, national, corporate or organizational levels, emissions also come from supply chains within business, between businesses and between nations.

Increasingly, best practice for organizations considers impacts beyond their own corporate activities – extending the scope of their “carbon footprints” to include the impacts of the goods and services they offer. PAS 2050 provides a means for this.

PAS 2050 helps organizations:

Carry out internal assessment of the existing life cycle GHG emissions of their products to identify GHG emission hotspots and related cost/energy saving opportunities
Evaluate alternative product configurations, sourcing and manufacturing methods, raw material choices and supplier selection
Devise ongoing programmes aimed at reducing GHG emissions
Report on corporate responsibility

For consumers of goods and services, PAS 2050 provides a common basis for understanding the assessment of life cycle GHG emissions when making purchasing decisions and using goods and services.

How is the PAS 2050:2011 revision different?

BSI reviewed and updated PAS 2050 two years after the publication of the original document. The new revision makes the PAS 2050 methodology more relevant and accessible to a wider range of businesses by addressing key queries and issues raised by the product carbon footprinting (PCF) community, as well as the experiences of users since the standard’s first publication in October 2008.

The revision was undertaken to:

Clarify ambiguities apparent in the application of the standard
Take account of advances in knowledge and understanding that have emerged since PAS 2050 was first published
Reflect user experience as much as possible
Enhance the level of take-up and application of the PAS 2050 methodology
Remove unnecessary differences between PAS 2050 methodology and other internationally recognized footprint methods – particularly the ones developed by The World Resources Institute/The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

The continued co-operation with organizations such as WRI/WBCSD, ISO and the European Commission throughout the PAS revision process ensures that the revised document continues to reflect international PCF theory and practice, and provides a methodology compatible with other internationally-recognized footprint methods to promote best practice and harmonization of standardization effort.

To ease the implementation of PAS 2050, and to help you understand the benefits the methodology delivers, we have compiled some free material:

PAS 2050:2011 Guidance document

The 2008 Guide to 2050 has been updated in line with the changes to PAS 2050 introduced in its 2011 revision. This user friendly document is more interactive, includes additional examples and more practical advice to help you footprint your product(s), identify hotspots and reduce emissions in your supply chain.

PAS 2050 Q&As

Take a look at our Q&A to get answers to your most pressing queries.

PAS 2050:2011 Summary of Changes

Some of the significant changes arising from the latest PAS 2050 revision are:

Provision for the development and application of “supplementary requirements” to enable more specific greenhouse gas emissions assessment within sectors or product groups

The inclusion of emissions from biogenic sources (e.g. biomass) and greater clarity on the treatment of recyclable material.

Read our summary of changes to learn more.

PAS 2050 / GHG Product Standard Comparison Factsheet

Understand how PAS 2050:2011 corresponds with the WRI/WBCSD’s GHG Products Standard.

See the findings of BSI’s review of the use of PAS 2050
To understand more about what PAS 2050 can do for you, read our research into the use of the 2008 version and the specific benefits companies have derived from it.

See the PAS 2050 revision press release
For more information regarding the PAS 2050 revision, find out what we think everyone should know.

The PAS 2050 family is expanding. With new sector-specific PCF specifications in the works and other standards exploring key aspects of GHG management, the PAS 2050 family of documents helps organizations better control their climate change impacts, become more efficient and realize cost savings.

Supplementary PAS for use with PAS 2050

PAS 2050-1:2012 - Supplementary requirements for the cradle-to-gate stages of greenhouse gas (GHG) assessments of horticultural products

'BSI, working with the Dutch Product Board for Horticulture the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovations as well as other international experts, have developed supplementary requirements for the horticulture industry that will help apply PAS 2050 to horticultural products.

Published on 21 March, PAS 2050-1:2012 is a new specification offering invaluable assistance and clarity to organizations within the horticulture sector for the assessment and management of the climate change impact of their products.

It enables growers to meet requests for GHG emissions information from downstream partners in the supply chain to support their own GHG assessments. Whole life cycle assessments are achievable through the joint application of PAS 2050-1:2012 and PAS 2050:2011.

Visit the PAS 2050-1:2012 site to learn more and download the document

PAS 2050-2:2013 - Assessment of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions – Supplementary requirements for the application of PAS 2050 to aquatic food products

Now in the works, this addition to the PAS 2050 family of standards will help organizations from across the fisheries industry determine the most appropriate scope for assessment of the GHG emissions of the goods and services they provide.

This specification will establish supplementary requirements for the application of PAS 2050 to the assessment of emissions from all aquatic food products derived from wild capture and aquaculture conditions.

Specifications for this future publication will be posted in due course.

Related specifications and initiatives for GHG emissions

PAS 2060:2010 – Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality

Make a greater impact on your customers and stakeholders through limiting your impact on the earth – join industry leaders in environmental responsibility by achieving carbon neutrality with PAS 2060 – Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality.

As well as showing you how to demonstrate neutrality, PAS 2060 can also help you lower your environmental impacts, save money, and it clarifies the terms and processes involved.