If you’re trying to measure your business’s environmental impact, two terms come up quickly: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and carbon footprinting. They’re often used interchangeably, and more often than not, they shouldn’t be.
Both are valuable tools. But they answer different questions, suit different situations, and require different levels of resources to complete. Choosing the wrong one wastes time and money, whereas choosing the right one gives you data you can actually act on.
So, here’s what you need to know.
What is Carbon Footprinting?
Carbon footprinting measures the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by a business, product, or activity. The result is expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), which is simply the universal unit used to measure carbon footprint, and accounts for each of the different greenhouse gases emitted.
Carbon footprinting follows established frameworks. The most widely used are:
- GHG Protocol Corporate Standard for business-level measurement
- ISO 14064 for organisational and project-level reporting
- ISO 14-69-1 for carbon neutrality claims
A carbon footprint is typically divided into three scopes:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (company vehicles, on-site combustion).
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy (such as electricity or heat).
- Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain (your suppliers, logistics, product use, end of life). Carbon footprinting uses activity data you likely already hold, such as energy bills, fuel receipts, and mileage logs. For many businesses, it is the right starting point.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
A Life Cycle Assessment takes a broader view, rather than focusing solely on carbon; an LCA examines the full environmental impact of a product or service across its entire life cycle.
That means looking at every stage: raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, use, and end-of-life disposal or recycling. It also covers a wider range of environmental categories beyond climate change, including:
- Water use
- Land use
- Biodiversity impact
- Air and water pollution
- Resource depletion
- And more.
LCAs follow certain methodologies; You may want to focus only on the climate change impact of a specific product, rather than look at the wider environmental impact. In those scenarios, we would follow a standard such as ISO 14067, to allow you to report those impacts confidently and understand opportunities to improve the carbon efficiency.
LCAs are more detailed, and generally much more resource-intensive, and typically take longer to complete. But they produce a fuller picture of environmental impact, which matters in certain contexts.
Key differences at a glance
| Carbon Footprinting | Life Cycle Assessment | |
| Focus | GHG emissions only | Multiple environmental impacts |
| Scope | Whole organisation impact or product | Product or service, cradle to grave |
| Timeframe | Weeks to months | Months to over a year (dependent on variables) |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Standards | GHG Protocol, ISO 14064 | ISO 14040/14044 |
| Best for | Reporting, target-setting, disclosure, and compliance / procurement contracts. | Reporting, target-setting, disclosure, and compliance/procurement contracts. |
When to use organisational Carbon Footprinting
Carbon footprinting is the right tool when your primary goal is to measure, report, or reduce your emissions.
Use carbon footprinting when you need to:
- Respond to customer or investor requests for emissions data
- Report to CDP, complete sustainability questionnaires, or meet supply chain requirements for company-wide emissions
- Create a carbon reduction plan or set SBTi-aligned net zero targets
- Produce annual sustainability reports
- Baseline your emissions before taking reduction action
- Demonstrate progress over time
For most businesses in manufacturing, logistics, construction, and supply chain, carbon footprinting is where to start. It gives you the data needed to make decisions, set targets, and prove progress. The process also tends to surface quick wins, particularly around energy use and fleet emissions.
If your stakeholders are asking about your carbon position, a carbon footprint answers the question clearly and in a form they recognise.
When to use an LCA
An LCA is the right tool when GHGs alone do not tell the full story, and when you need to make decisions about a specific product or process.
Use an LCA when you need to:
- Compare the environmental performance of two product designs or materials
- Make robust green claims about a product (particularly for regulated markets or eco-labelling)
- Identify which stage of a product’s life cycle causes the most environmental harm
- Support procurement decisions with evidence beyond carbon
- Respond to requests for Environmental Product Declarations [CG3] (EPDs) or sector-specific standards
- Explore trade-offs between environmental impacts (for example, where reducing carbon increases water use)
LCAs are particularly valuable in product-led businesses and sectors where material choices matter: packaging, construction materials, electronics, textiles, food & drink, and agriculture.
We are increasingly seeing requests for product-specific emissions reporting within supply chains. Particularly in the construction sector.
If you are supplying products into the construction sector, you are likely to face requests for EPDs / product-level emissions sooner rather than later, particularly with forthcoming Digital Product Passports requirements anticipated in 2027.
They are also increasingly relevant in regulated contexts. The EU’s Green Claims Directive and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation both require robust life cycle thinking to substantiate environmental claims.
Can you use both?
Yes, and in many cases, you should.
A carbon footprint at the organisational level gives you the headline numbers for reporting and target-setting, and also provides insight on how you can take action on an organisation-wide basis. An LCA at the product level gives you the granular data to make better design and sourcing decisions, and the two approaches complement each other really well.
A common approach for businesses is to:
- Complete a carbon footprint to establish a baseline and identify priority areas
- Commission product-level LCAs for high-impact or commercially important product lines
- Use both datasets to inform procurement policy and reduction strategy
This staged approach manages cost while building a progressively stronger evidence base.
Common FAQ’s
Is a carbon footprint part of an LCA?
Yes. Carbon (or climate change impact) is one of the categories assessed in an LCA. But a standalone carbon footprint doesn’t cover the other environmental categories that an LCA includes.
Which is better for supply chain reporting?
Carbon footprinting is typically more practical and better suited to supply chain disclosure because it maps onto the Scope 3 framework that most customers and frameworks expect. LCAs can complement this where you need product-level detail, and significantly increase your understanding of procurement/supply chain emissions if you manufacture products.
Where to start
If you are new to environmental measurement, start with a carbon footprint. It is faster and gives you data that is immediately useful for reporting and decision-making. If you already have a carbon footprint and want to go deeper on specific products or processes, an LCA is the logical next step.
Not sure which is right for your business? We can help you assess your situation and choose the approach that makes the most sense given your goals, your stakeholders, and your sector.
Positive Planet works with businesses in manufacturing, construction, logistics, and supply chain to measure and reduce their environmental impact. Get in touch here to find out how we can help.