A new guideline harmonises product carbon footprint calculations for chemicals
JOACHIM CHRIST*, VERENA BUBACK
*Corresponding author
Executive Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Abstract
The Product Carbon Footprint Guideline for the Chemical Industry harmonises the methodology for calculating PCFs for chemical products and gives clear guidance for companies to calculate the cradle-to-gate GHG emissions of their products. Developed with the expertise of the members of the industry initiative Together for Sustainability (TfS), the Guideline highlights the chemical industry’s ability to increase transparency on their GHG emissions as a key enabler to reduce them along global supply chains. Applied widely throughout our industry, this tailored, reviewed and practical Guideline will lead to a harmonisation of PCF data that both corporations and their suppliers will benefit from. As a SteerCo member of TfS, Joachim Christ, CPO of Merck KGaA, outlines the need for its development and highlights the improvement that has been achieved by its publication.
INTRODUCTION
As leaders in the chemical industry, we carry responsibility to use our scientific and research power to move the needle towards a more sustainable future. A key contribution will include the reduction of our environmental footprint and the innovation and development of more sustainable products. Sustainable business starts with sustainable procurement, which addresses environmental topics just as much as social ones, reaching from the safeguarding of human rights to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with purchased goods. Our responsibility includes the business relationships with our supply chain partners, of whom we expect to meet the same standards that we have set for ourselves.
TOGETHER FOR SUSTAINABILITY – JOINING FORCES FOR PROGRESS FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS
Ensuring compliance with these standards along our supply chain is indispensable and, faced with tens of thousands of suppliers, characterised by a high degree of complexity. Since 2014, Merck has been a member of Together for Sustainability (TfS), an industry initiative, founded over 10 years ago, that uses the clout and sca ...
