ISO 14067 is what a European buyer asks for by name.
Product-level, cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave, third-party verifiable.
Runs on your public disclosures. Nothing from you.
You are the Product Manager or R&D Head at an Indian manufacturer or exporter. A German buyer asked for your product carbon footprint under ISO 14067. You do not know where to start.
ISO 14067:2018 is the international standard for quantifying the carbon footprint of a product (CFP). It specifies principles, requirements, and guidelines based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), following ISO 14040 and 14044. A CFP under ISO 14067 covers greenhouse-gas emissions and removals across the life cycle of a product, in kilograms of CO2 equivalent per functional unit. Third-party verification is optional but standard where the number is used with customers or regulators.
What ISO 14067 actually is
The scope is one product, one functional unit (for example, one kilogram of steel, or one hour of use of an electric motor). The system boundary can be cradle-to-gate (up to the factory gate) or cradle-to-grave (through end-of-life).
The methodology follows ISO 14040 and 14044 (LCA principles and requirements). Emission factors come from LCI databases (Ecoinvent, GaBi, and equivalents). The reference product category rules (PCR) determine assumptions.
ISO 14067 is what CBAM references for embedded emissions calculation. It is what buyers reference in tenders. It is what EPD programmes reference for the underlying data.
Why now
European buyers now put ISO 14067 CFPs in RFPs by default. CBAM Q reports for iron and steel, aluminium and cement require embedded-emissions data calculated to a compatible standard. A CFP that arrives late loses the tender.
What breaks when your carbon number is not defensible.
Three failure modes we see on every ISO 14067 scan.
Wrong functional unit
The CFP is calculated per tonne of raw material instead of per functional unit of end product. Buyer rejects.
System boundary drawn wrong
Cradle-to-gate declared but transport to the buyer is included. Boundary drift. Auditor flags.
Emission factors without vintage or geography
Global averages used where India-specific factors exist. CFP inflates or deflates without reason. Verifier rejects.
Three moves that make ISO 14067 defensible.
PCR-shaped calculations
Carbon-OS carries product category rules per major sector. Functional unit and system boundary are set right, first time.
Boundary drawn per ISO
Cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave declared explicitly. Every process inside the boundary is auditable. Nothing leaks in.
Factor library with vintage and geography
Ecoinvent and Indian LCI factors, versioned. Every factor tied to a database entry and year.
See where your ISO 14067 number stands. Free scan.
Run the free Carbon X-Ray →What people ask, straight.
Is ISO 14067 the same as GHG Protocol Product Standard?
They are compatible and often used together. ISO 14067 is the international-standard version. GHG Protocol Product Standard is the WBCSD/WRI version. Same objective, minor methodological differences.
Do we need third-party verification?
The standard makes it optional. In practice, if the number goes to a buyer or a regulator, third-party verification is expected.
Which LCI databases can we use?
Ecoinvent, GaBi, ELCD, and Indian-specific databases such as CEA grid factors and IIP (Indian Institute of Petroleum) factors, subject to the PCR.
How does ISO 14067 support an EPD?
An EPD (Environmental Product Declaration under EN 15804) uses an ISO 14067-conformant CFP as one of its impact categories. Do the CFP once, use it for both.
How long does a first CFP take?
For a single product with clean bill-of-materials data, six to eight weeks. Complex products with deep supply chains take longer, because the CFP depends on supplier-provided data.