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20,000 Free PCFs Just Dropped—Here’s Why It Matters

by Embodied CarbonPCFSupply Chain

OpenPCF: Free PCF Library by Terralytiq

A major breakthrough just dropped in the world of carbon accounting—and it could dramatically shift how small and medium-sized businesses engage with Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) and life cycle assessments (LCAs). Terralytiq has publicly released 20,000 free activity-based PCFs through their new platform, OpenPCF, giving companies access to free, detailed carbon data for over 130 manufacturing products across 70 countries and states.

The Spend-Based Reality Most Companies Face

For context: most companies today still rely on spend-based emissions factors for Scope 3 carbon accounting. These estimates tie carbon impact to dollars spent—not actual product activity—resulting in broad, often inaccurate emissions reporting. The problem becomes clear when you consider what happens after the calculations: you have a total emissions figure, but that data doesn’t reveal which specific suppliers, materials, or processes are driving those emissions, or where to focus your reduction efforts. Spend-based factors provide the big picture but lack the granular detail needed to drive meaningful decarbonization actions.

This limitation has created a frustrating two-tier system: large corporations with dedicated sustainability teams and substantial budgets can afford detailed LCAs and supplier-specific PCFs, while smaller companies remain stuck with rough financial proxies that offer little actionable intelligence.

OpenPCF: Democratizing Carbon Intelligence

Terralytiq’s OpenPCF upends that paradigm with PCFs built entirely on activity data, not financial proxies. This means companies can now replace generic emissions estimates with more precise, product-specific, cradle-to-gate data—covering everything from raw material extraction through manufacturing. 

These PCFs are differentiated by geography. Aluminum products from the Shandong province of China have a PCF of 17 kg CO2 per kg product, a stark contrast to products from the Yunnan province with a PCF of just 5 kg/kg, due to local sources of hydropowered electricity. Companies can now differentiate suppliers of similar products, and unlock decarbonization through low-carbon country sourcing. 

I recently spoke with Will, co-founder of Terralytiq, who shared why this public release represents such a fundamental shift. Will emphasized that this move is about democratizing access to high-quality carbon data, particularly for smaller companies who lack sustainability teams or the budget to commission custom LCAs. “Most organizations are still submitting spend-based data because that’s all they have access to,” Will explained. “We want to change that by putting credible activity-based data into everyone’s hands. Data should not be a barrier to decarbonization.”

And that’s exactly what OpenPCF does. The release empowers companies of all sizes to:

  • Baseline their emissions with confidence, moving beyond spend-based estimates to activity-based PCFs
  • Collaborate with suppliers,exchanging primary data and differentiating products with lower PCFs
  • Identify real levers for reduction like recycled content, renewable energy use, and operational efficiency
  • Build decarbonization plans for hotspots in their supply chain, getting back on track for Scope 3 targets

Game-Changing Impact for Small Manufacturers

For small manufacturers, this represents a genuine game-changer. Consider a small electronics company that previously could only estimate circuit board emissions using broad spending categories. With OpenPCF, they can now:

  • Access specific PCFs for different types of circuit boards and components
  • Determine whether switching to recycled materials would meaningfully reduce their product’s carbon footprint
  • Engage suppliers with data-driven requests for lower-carbon alternatives
  • Embed real data into their reporting systems, climate disclosures, and sustainability strategies—without hiring a full LCA team

Instead of relying on average emissions factors based on global spend, companies can now use OpenPCF’s granular data to understand exactly where their carbon hotspots lie and what specific actions will drive the greatest reductions.

Beyond Individual Companies: Industry Transformation

The implications extend far beyond individual company benefits. When smaller companies gain access to quality carbon data, several positive feedback loops emerge:

Market Pressure on Suppliers: As more companies—regardless of size—demand specific carbon information, suppliers face increased pressure to collect and share primary data, improving data quality across entire supply chains.

Innovation Acceleration: With better visibility into carbon hotspots, small companies can drive demand for lower-carbon alternatives, creating market signals that larger players will follow.

Democratized Expertise: As carbon accounting capabilities spread to smaller organizations, the overall sophistication of sustainability practice improves across the economy.

The Collaborative Future of Scope 3 Management

The future of Scope 3 emissions management lies in transparency, supplier collaboration, and data granularity. OpenPCF takes a giant leap in that direction, lowering the barrier to entry for businesses ready to take climate action seriously. 

The platform doesn’t just provide static data—it creates a framework for ongoing supplier engagement and continuous improvement. “PCFs are the unit price of sustainability,” says Will, “they create a shared understanding between suppliers and buyers of the amount of emissions in a product that is acceptable under joint Scope 3 targets”. PCFs provide a baseline for product emissions, a framework to exchange primary data, and a metric to track decarbonization progress. 

This collaborative approach is crucial because meaningful Scope 3 reductions require coordination across entire supply chains. When small manufacturers can engage with suppliers using the same sophisticated carbon data that Fortune 500 companies employ, it creates opportunities for system-wide optimization that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Leveling the Playing Field

In an industry where data accessibility often determines who gets to lead on climate action, this release just opened the door for thousands of smaller players to step up. Companies that were previously limited by budget constraints or lack of internal expertise can now access the carbon intelligence needed to make informed decisions, engage suppliers effectively, and build credible decarbonization strategies.

The climate challenge requires engagement from organizations of all sizes. By providing smaller companies with the same quality of carbon intelligence that has previously been available only to the largest players, OpenPCF could help ensure that climate action scales across the entire economy, not just the Fortune 500.

Taking Action

For small businesses ready to move beyond spend-based estimates and engage with activity-based carbon accounting, OpenPCF represents an unprecedented opportunity to access the data foundation needed for meaningful climate action. The transition from financial proxies to activity-based data isn’t just about better reporting—it’s about unlocking the specific insights needed to drive real emissions reductions.

In an era where every fraction of a degree matters, democratizing the tools for carbon measurement and reduction isn’t just good business—it’s essential climate policy.

Explore the dataset and learn more: https://www.terralytiq.com/openpcf

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PEF vs PCF: Understanding the Two Approaches to Product Environmental Impact

by Embodied CarbonEPDPCFPEFSupply Chain

Published by Christian Carron, PE | Embodied Carbon Solutions

The European Commission just gave the green light to comprehensive environmental impact rules that could reshape how companies measure and report product sustainability. In May 2025, the EU officially approved Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for apparel and footwear—marking a pivotal shift from simple carbon metrics to complex, multi-impact environmental assessment.

While the EU is still working through the technical details of emission factors for the newly approved environmental impact categories, this step forward signals where environmental assessment is heading. Companies that get ahead of this trend will be better positioned when these requirements become fully operational and expand to other product categories.

The question isn’t just about compliance—it’s about understanding the fundamental difference between Product Carbon Footprints (PCF) and Product Environmental Footprints (PEF), and what each approach can tell you about your products.

The Core Difference: Scope of Measurement

Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) focuses exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions throughout a product’s lifecycle. Think of it as a detailed carbon “receipt” that tracks CO₂ equivalent emissions from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transportation, use, and end-of-life disposal.

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) takes a much broader view, measuring 16 different environmental impact categories including climate change, water use, land use, resource depletion, acidification, and toxicity effects. It’s like getting a comprehensive environmental health check rather than just a carbon reading.

When Each Approach Makes Sense

Choose PCF When:

  • Carbon emissions is your primary concern
  • You need straightforward metrics for abatement targets
  • You’re responding to customer demands for carbon transparency
  • You want to align with global climate initiatives like Science Based Targets
  • You need quick, cost-effective environmental impact data

Choose PEF When:

  • You’re selling into European markets (especially with upcoming regulations)
  • You want to avoid “burden shifting” between different environmental impacts
  • Your products have complex environmental profiles beyond just carbon
  • You need comprehensive sustainability data for B2B customers
  • You’re preparing for potential future regulatory requirements

Real-World Application Examples

A textile manufacturer using PCF analysis might discover that switching from conventional to recycled polyester reduces their carbon footprint by 35%. That’s valuable, actionable information that directly supports climate goals.

The same manufacturer using PEF analysis might find that while recycled polyester does reduce carbon emissions, it increases water consumption and chemical use in certain processing stages. This fuller picture helps them make more informed decisions about which suppliers to work with and what improvements to pursue.

The Business Implications

PCF offers simplicity and focus. The results are easier to communicate to customers and stakeholders. A single number—kilograms of CO₂ equivalent—tells a clear story that resonates with climate-conscious consumers and aligns with corporate carbon reduction commitments.

PEF provides depth and nuance. While more complex to interpret and communicate, it offers protection against unintended environmental consequences and provides a more complete foundation for sustainable product development.

Looking Ahead: Regulatory Landscape

The European Commission’s recent approval of PEF Category Rules for apparel and footwear signals a shift toward more comprehensive environmental assessment. Companies selling into European markets should expect PEF requirements to expand across additional product categories in the coming years.

Meanwhile, PCF methodologies continue to evolve and standardize globally, with initiatives like the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) making product-level carbon data more accessible and comparable across supply chains.

Making the Right Choice for Your Business

For most companies starting their environmental impact journey, PCF offers an accessible entry point that delivers meaningful insights without overwhelming complexity. It’s particularly valuable if your primary goals are carbon reduction and climate impact communication.

PEF makes sense when you need comprehensive environmental data for regulatory compliance, sophisticated B2B customers, or complex products where carbon alone doesn’t tell the full environmental story.

The good news? These approaches aren’t mutually exclusive. Many companies start with PCF to establish carbon baselines and then expand to PEF for products where broader environmental assessment adds strategic value.

Getting Started

Whether you choose PCF or PEF, the key is starting with clear objectives about what you want to achieve and who will use the information. Both methodologies require careful attention to data quality, supplier engagement, and proper methodology application to deliver reliable results.

The environmental impact of products isn’t going away as a business concern—it’s only becoming more important. Understanding the tools available to measure and communicate that impact is essential for any company serious about sustainability.

Need help determining which approach makes sense for your products? Embodied Carbon Solutions specializes in both PCF and PEF development, helping companies navigate the complexities of environmental impact assessment with practical, business-focused solutions.

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The Intersection of LCAs in ESG Reporting

by Embodied CarbonEPDPCFReporting

In the evolving landscape of corporate sustainability, cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) have emerged as pivotal tools for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting. These methodologies provide the quantifiable metrics and data-driven insights that modern sustainability disclosure frameworks demand, transforming how companies communicate their environmental impact to stakeholders.

The Evolution of ESG Reporting: From Qualitative to Quantitative

The roots of ESG reporting can be traced back to the early 2000s, with the rise of corporate social responsibility initiatives. What began as primarily qualitative, narrative-driven disclosures has rapidly evolved into a sophisticated ecosystem demanding rigorous, quantifiable metrics. This transformation has been driven by regulatory developments, investor expectations, and heightened consumer awareness.

Within this context, cradle-to-gate assessments—which measure emissions from raw material extraction through manufacturing until products leave the factory gate—have become essential components of credible ESG reporting. By providing specific, comparable metrics expressed in CO₂e per functional unit, these assessments offer the quantitative foundation that modern sustainability reporting requires.

Cradle-to-Gate LCAs: The Backbone of Scope 3 Emissions Reporting

For most organizations, Scope 3 emissions—those occurring in a company’s value chain rather than its direct operations—represent the largest portion of their carbon footprint. Category 1 emissions from purchased goods and services are particularly significant, often accounting for 70-90% of a company’s total emissions profile.

Cradle-to-gate LCAs directly address this critical reporting area by providing verifiable data on upstream emissions. These assessments enable companies to:

  1. Identify emissions hotspots across their supply chain, pinpointing which materials, components, or suppliers contribute most significantly to their environmental footprint
  2. Establish baseline measurements against which reduction efforts can be measured
  3. Develop science-based targets at the product level, setting specific reduction goals for high-impact items

The Integration of PCFs in Annual Sustainability Reports

Annual sustainability reports have evolved from marketing-focused documents to data-intensive disclosures that require rigorous methodological underpinnings. Product Carbon Footprints enhance these reports in three critical ways:

Materiality Assessment and Disclosure

Modern ESG frameworks emphasize the concept of materiality—focusing reporting on the most significant environmental impacts relevant to a company’s operations. PCFs enable companies to conduct materiality assessments with precision, identifying which products and materials represent the most substantial environmental impacts.

Leading sustainability reports now feature dedicated sections explaining how PCF data forms the foundation of their materiality analysis, often including visual representations of product portfolios mapped against environmental impact.

Target Setting and Progress Tracking

Science-based targets have become standard elements of corporate sustainability reports, with companies committing to specific reduction goals aligned with global climate objectives. PCFs enable organizations to set product-specific reduction targets based on baseline assessments, track progress year-over-year, and develop category-specific strategies for high-impact product lines.

Supply Chain Engagement and Governance

Effective ESG reporting requires demonstrating not only environmental metrics but also governance processes for managing those impacts. PCF methodologies provide structure for supplier engagement narratives in sustainability reports, showing how organizations distribute questionnaires to suppliers, conduct assessments for high-impact materials, and collaborate on reduction initiatives with partners.

Methodological Approaches to Cradle-to-Gate Assessments

As ESG reporting requirements become more stringent, the methodological rigor of cradle-to-gate assessments has similarly evolved. Three key approaches are gaining prominence:

1. Primary vs. Secondary Data

A fundamental methodological distinction exists between primary data (collected directly from suppliers) and secondary data (derived from industry averages or models). This distinction affects data quality and reliability in sustainability reports, with primary data generally considered more accurate but more difficult to obtain comprehensively.

2. Standardized Methodologies

To enhance credibility and comparability, organizations increasingly align their cradle-to-gate assessments with established standards such as:

  • The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Product Standard
  • ISO 14067 for carbon footprinting
  • The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology

These standards provide consistent frameworks for boundary setting, data collection, and calculation methods.

3. Allocation and Boundary Setting

Technical but crucial decisions about how environmental impacts are allocated across co-products or shared processes significantly affect reported results. Clear documentation of allocation methodologies and system boundaries is essential for transparency and comparability.

Implementation Challenges and Solutions

Despite their value, organizations face significant challenges when incorporating cradle-to-gate assessments into their ESG reporting practices:

Data Quality and Availability

Data quality remains the most significant challenge in cradle-to-gate assessments. Best practices to address this challenge include:

  • Transparent documentation of data sources and quality
  • Progressive improvement plans for enhancing data collection
  • Uncertainty analyses to contextualize reported figures

Scope and Scale Challenges

For organizations with diverse product portfolios, comprehensive cradle-to-gate assessments can be resource-intensive. Effective approaches include:

  • Representative sampling of key products
  • Phased implementation plans expanding coverage over time
  • Hybrid approaches combining detailed assessments for high-impact products with streamlined analyses for others

Integration with Financial Reporting

As sustainability reporting increasingly aligns with financial disclosure, organizations must integrate PCF data with financial systems. This integration enables internal carbon pricing mechanisms, climate-adjusted financial metrics, and investment decisions informed by product carbon intensity.

Future Trends in Cradle-to-Gate Assessments for ESG Reporting

The integration of cradle-to-gate assessments into ESG reporting continues to evolve in three key directions:

Digital Integration and Real-Time Reporting

The future of PCF reporting lies in digital systems that continuously update carbon footprint data throughout product development cycles. These digital product passports enable real-time reporting capabilities, moving beyond the annual reporting cycle to provide stakeholders with current information as materials, designs, or manufacturing processes change.

AI-Enhanced Assessment Methodologies

Artificial intelligence is transforming how organizations approach cradle-to-gate assessments by:

  • Automating data collection from complex supply chains
  • Identifying patterns and anomalies in environmental data
  • Generating predictive models to support product development decisions
  • Enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of carbon footprinting

Convergence of Reporting Standards

The currently fragmented landscape of reporting standards is gradually converging toward unified global frameworks. This convergence will enhance the comparability of cradle-to-gate assessments across companies and industries, facilitating more meaningful benchmarking and target-setting.

Conclusion: The Indispensable Role of Cradle-to-Gate Assessments

As ESG reporting requirements continue to intensify, cradle-to-gate LCAs and Product Carbon Footprints have become essential components of credible sustainability disclosure. These methodologies provide the quantifiable, product-level emissions data that stakeholders increasingly demand while enabling organizations to identify reduction opportunities and track progress toward environmental goals.

The most effective sustainability reports use cradle-to-gate assessments not just as compliance tools but as strategic assets that inform product development, supplier engagement, and carbon reduction initiatives. For organizations seeking to enhance their ESG reporting, implementing robust cradle-to-gate assessment methodologies represents not just a reporting requirement but a strategic opportunity to demonstrate leadership, manage risks, and drive meaningful environmental improvement throughout their value chains.

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AI-Powered PCFs vs. EPDs: Choosing the Right Tool for Your Carbon Reduction Journey

by Embodied CarbonEPDPCFSupply Chain

Imagine you’ve just been tasked with measuring your company’s carbon footprint across hundreds of products. Your CEO wants results quickly, your budget is tight, and frankly, you’re not even sure where to begin. The sustainability world is filled with acronyms and methodologies that can make even seasoned professionals feel overwhelmed. But don’t worry – you’re not alone in this challenge.

Today, we’re diving into a comparison that could save your sustainability program months of work and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars: AI-powered Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) versus traditional Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

A Product Carbon Footprint is a focused report card on a product’s greenhouse gas emissions throughout its lifecycle. It answers one critical question: how much carbon is associated with making, using, and disposing of this product? Environmental Product Declarations examine multiple environmental impacts – not just carbon emissions, but also water usage, eutrophication potential, acidification, and more.

The traditional approaches to both have faced a persistent challenge: data gaps. This is where artificial intelligence has revolutionized the field. AI-powered PCF solutions use sophisticated algorithms to fill these gaps intelligently, based on industry benchmarks and established lifecycle assessment models. The result? A complete carbon picture that clearly indicates which parts came from primary supplier data and which were supplemented by AI.

Time is perhaps the most dramatic difference between these approaches. An AI-powered PCF can be generated in minutes once the basic inputs are gathered. A traditional EPD? You’re looking at approximately six months from start to finish. During my work leading decarbonization efforts at Amazon, this time advantage proved invaluable. While traditional EPD approaches would still have been collecting initial data, we had already produced PCFs, identified carbon hotspots, engaged with suppliers, and secured legally binding decarbonization pledges.

The cost implications are equally striking. EPDs typically cost between $15,000 to $40,000 per product. By contrast, AI-powered PCFs can often be generated for less than $100 per product. For a company with 100 products, the EPD approach would cost $1.5-4 million and take years to complete. The AI-powered PCF approach? Less than $10,000 and potentially just weeks.

But what about accuracy? EPDs are often perceived as the “gold standard” because they undergo third-party verification. However, an EPD created with poor primary data will still result in inaccurate conclusions, despite the rigorous process. AI-powered PCFs take a different approach to data quality. They’re transparent about what they know and what they don’t know. Each PCF clearly indicates the percentage of primary data used, making data gaps visible rather than hidden.

The ISO 14067 standard for carbon footprinting provides a methodology framework that both approaches can follow. What matters for compliance isn’t whether you used AI or manual calculations, but whether you followed the methodological requirements. AI-powered PCFs with third-party reviewed methodologies meet the standards needed for corporate carbon reporting frameworks just as effectively as EPDs do.

When your company commits to reducing its carbon footprint, time is quite literally of the essence. Every month spent merely measuring is a month not spent reducing. This isn’t just about operational efficiency – it’s about climate impact. The sooner you identify carbon hotspots, engage suppliers, and implement reduction strategies, the greater your cumulative emissions reduction will be.

The agility of the AI-powered PCF approach extends beyond just the initial assessment. Products change frequently, especially in fast-moving industries. When a product undergoes a design modification or material change, updating an EPD means essentially starting from scratch – another six months, another five-figure investment. An AI-powered PCF can be updated rapidly, allowing your carbon accounting to keep pace with product innovation.

This adaptability is especially valuable when evaluating potential changes before implementation. Want to know the carbon impact of switching from plastic to aluminum packaging? Or from coal-powered manufacturing to renewable electricity? AI-powered PCFs can model these scenarios quickly, providing decision-makers with environmental impact information alongside traditional metrics like cost and performance.

What’s particularly exciting about AI-powered PCFs is how they democratize carbon accounting. Traditional approaches required specialized expertise, significant budgets, and extensive timelines – effectively limiting comprehensive carbon measurement to only the largest organizations. The accessibility, speed, and cost-effectiveness of AI-powered solutions mean that organizations of all sizes can now establish baseline measurements and begin reduction efforts.

For sustainability professionals, the message is clear: don’t let perfect measurement become the enemy of good reduction. The climate crisis demands urgent action, and waiting months for comprehensive assessments before beginning reduction efforts is a luxury we simply don’t have. AI-powered PCFs offer a pragmatic path forward – establishing baselines quickly, identifying hotspots for immediate action, and engaging suppliers with specific reduction targets.

As you consider your organization’s approach to carbon measurement and reduction, remember that the ultimate goal isn’t perfect accounting – it’s meaningful impact. Choose tools that help you move quickly from measurement to action, that scale cost-effectively across your product portfolio, and that facilitate rather than hinder supplier engagement. Your future self – and our collective climate future – will thank you for choosing progress over perfection.

Embodied Carbon Solutions helps organizations navigate their sustainability journey through expert carbon analysis, supplier engagement, and practical reduction strategies. Our partnership with leading AI-powered PCF platforms enables clients to quickly establish baselines and begin meaningful carbon reduction initiatives. Contact us to learn how we can help your organization transform sustainability goals into tangible results.