How to answer a customer's request for a product carbon footprint

More suppliers are getting the same email: a customer wants the carbon footprint of the products they buy from you. It can look daunting, especially without a sustainability team. In practice the request is answerable with data you already have, if you know what the buyer will do with it.

7 min read · Updated

  1. 1
    Read the requestUnit, boundary, format, deadline
  2. 2
    Collect your dataMaterials, a year of bills, transport
  3. 3
    CalculateISO 14067 method
  4. 4
    Send the packPDF report + PACT file
From request to reply.

Why the request came

Your customer has to report the emissions of what they buy (their Scope 3 purchased goods) and show progress on cutting them. Product footprints from suppliers are the most precise input they can use, far better than estimates based on spend.

For brands selling in the EU, the rules against vague environmental claims apply from 27 September 2026 (Directive (EU) 2024/825), so they need figures with a method behind them.

Read the request for four things

  • The unit: per piece, per kilogram or per order?
  • The boundary: almost always cradle to gate if PACT or Scope 3 is mentioned. See cradle to gate vs cradle to grave.
  • The format: a PDF, a filled template, a supplier portal or a PACT data file?
  • The method: ISO 14067, GHG Protocol or PACT, and any sector rules.
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Collect what you already have

  • The bill of materials for each product, with weights and where each material comes from.
  • A year of electricity and fuel bills and what the factory produced in that year.
  • Transport of materials to you, and the packaging you ship in.
  • Any footprints your own suppliers have given you.

Calculate, then check before sending

Work through the seven steps, or let a tool do the arithmetic: in ours you confirm every value before anything is calculated. Before sending, check that the boundary and unit match the request, that anything left out is small and stated, and that the data quality and primary data share are reported honestly.

Send a pack, not just a number

A bare number invites questions. A PDF report that states the method, boundary, sources, assumptions and limitations answers them in advance, and a PACT file lets the buyer load the figure straight into their system. State plainly what the footprint is not: for example, that it has not been reviewed by an independent third party.

If you supply many products, start with the ones the customer buys most, and upload your product list for first figures across the range.

Questions

What if I don't have all the data?

Send what you can with database values filling the gaps, and state the primary data share. Buyers prefer an honest estimate to no answer.

Do I need third-party verification?

Usually not for business-to-business exchange. Say clearly whether the footprint has been reviewed; if the buyer needs verification, they will ask.

How often should I update it?

Yearly, or when materials, suppliers, processes or energy sources change.

Get buyer-ready product carbon footprintsISO 14067 method, a PACT v3 data file and a PDF report with every source. Join the waitlist for launch prices in your region.
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Keep reading

6 min readThe PACT methodology and data file: what your buyer meansWhat PACT is, why buyers ask for a PACT-format footprint, what the data file contains and how it differs from a PDF report. A plain guide for suppliers.Read →8 min readHow to calculate a product carbon footprint, step by stepThe seven steps behind a product carbon footprint: unit, boundary, materials, factory energy, transport, emission factors and checks. With an example.Read →5 min readPrimary vs secondary data, and why buyers ask for your primary data sharePrimary data is your own measured data; secondary data comes from databases. What the primary data share is, why buyers track it, and how to raise yours.Read →