A carbon footprint can be done for a product (PCF) or an organization / company (CCF).
A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reflects the global warming potential (GWP) of a product. The GWP is the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG), which occur during the whole life cycle (from “cradle to gate” or from “cradle to grave”) of a product.
The calculation of the global warming potential is based on the international ISO standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, which are also the basis of the certification of the PCF.
In contrast, the Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) quantifies organization’s or company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, equivalent to the GWP, still along the life cycle. GHG emissions are divided into direct (GHG source owned or controlled by the organization – scope 1) and indirect (GHG emissions from imported energies and from non-owned / controlled GHG sources – scope 2 and 3).
The result of a CCF is the amount CO2 equivalents, which are caused by the considered organization, company or plant.
The certification is based on the international ISO standard 14064.
See keyword ISO 14064 for more information.