ABSTRACT
A carbon footprint for products or services takes into account emissions during the entire life of a product, from extraction of the raw materials, production and use to the end of the product's life, including recycling, treatment and disposal. An increasing number of organizations are calculating their carbon footprints for various reasons. Application of the framework proposed by this standard is still voluntary Regulations are generally more likely to refer to standards from recognized standards organizations, particularly the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO produces voluntary standards for sectors and stakeholders who have an explicit need. ISO standards are produced by technical committees of experts from the industrial, technical and economic sectors. These experts may include representatives of government agencies, consumers associations, non-governmental organizations and universities. Although voluntary, the Climate Registry is an influential North American non-profit organization that records and tracks the verified greenhouse gas emissions of businesses, municipalities and other organizations.
