Pickler calculates both your packaging total carbon footprint expressed in CO2-eq, as well as its impact on climate change expressed in eco costs (€).
What's the difference? Why do we have both?
Carbon footprint vs climate change impact
In short: while a carbon footprint focuses narrowly on quantifying GHG emissions, the 'climate change' impact category in the eco-cost model Pickler applies, includes a broader assessment of these greenhouse gas emissions' economic and environmental impacts: how does this carbon footprint actually impact our environment?
Carbon Footprint Results:
The carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by your packaging product throughout its life cycle.
It's expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂eq) to account for different Greenhouse Gasses based on their global warming potential.
It's a single indicator used in (ESG + CSRD) reporting to quantify and reduce emissions.
Impact Category 'Climate Change':
The eco-cost model is a more comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) indicator that evaluates the environmental impacts of products and processes.
The impact category 'climate change' within this model considers the broader effects of GHG emissions on climate change, using an economic valuation method.
Eco-costs represent the 'investment' necessary costs to prevent environmental pollution and resource depletion to reach a sustainable level, integrating various impacts, including climate change, beyond just GHG emissions.
This model provides a monetary value for the environmental burden, facilitating comparisons and decision-making based on environmental and economic criteria.
Why we have both in Pickler
Both results are crucial for our current reporting standards (especially in the EU).
Most companies have to report on their CO2-eq emissions to create and meet goals in strategies for CO2-reduction measures.
Climate change as impact category is a reporting requirement from the EU's CSRD and helps companies understand what measures they actually need to take to tackle the results of CO2-eq emissions.
Both are equally important and, therefore, reported in Pickler's results.