Firms and research groups in Finland have developed a method and guidelines for evaluating and communicating about the “carbon handprint” of a product, with the aim being to describe its positive climate impacts.
The idea behind the carbon handprint is quantifying the degree to which products and services allow a firm’s customers to reduce their carbon footprint. The calculation gives the size of handprint caused by the company’s product: the bigger the handprint, the better. When a customer starts using the product, its own footprint decreases.
So positive impacts included in this handprint would include actions such as improving energy efficiency, reducing the use of materials, making climate-friendly choices of raw material, developing product recyclability, reducing the amount of waste material, lengthening product lifespans and improving product usability.
Pia Tanskanen, Head of Environment at Nokia, commented: “The carbon handprint project has been highly useful from Nokia’s perspective, since it has provided us with tangible assistance in evaluating the environmental impact of our products.”
Researach group VTT – one of the developers of the handprint guidelines – uses calculation methods that have seemingly made it easy to demonstrate reductions in carbon footprints due to new products in particular, said Tanskanen. “Cooperation with VTT and other companies involved in the project has been smooth and helped us to understand the challenges faced in other industrial sectors,” she said.
“The carbon handprint appears to be a useful tool for highlighting the climate benefits of lower-emission products, such as fuel made from renewable raw materials. Hopefully, highlighting positive carbon handprints will help consumers to make decisions and guide them in choosing more responsible products and services,” says Asta Soininen, Sustainability Researcher, Neste, who was involved in the project.
The guide on calculating carbon handprints will provide companies with step-by-step instructions on carrying out evaluations.
