Product carbon footprint in the automotive industry: what OEMs are asking from their suppliers

Have you already received a spreadsheet from a customer asking for the carbon footprint of your components? If so, you’re not alone. And if you haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time.

In the automotive industry, this is no longer a conversation about sustainability. It’s a conversation about whether you stay in the business or not. Vehicle manufacturers are no longer measuring only their own emissions: more and more OEMs are integrating product carbon footprint requirements into supplier approval, contract renewal, and supplier selection processes.

Do you know exactly what they’re asking for — and why?

Why the automotive industry is leading these requirements

Vehicle manufacturers face a structural problem: more than 75% of their total emissions sit outside their own facilities, spread across the components, materials, and services they purchase from suppliers. That means any OEM aiming to reduce its real carbon footprint has no choice but to look at its supply chain.

The result is a cascading effect that is already underway. Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, BMW, Renault… all are incorporating product carbon footprint data as a formal variable in supplier evaluation and renewal processes. What used to be a voluntary questionnaire or an occasional request is rapidly becoming a requirement to renew contracts or participate in tenders.

What OEMs mean by “product carbon footprint”

When a manufacturer asks you for this data, they are referring to the PCF (Product Carbon Footprint): the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the lifecycle of your component, expressed in kg of CO₂ equivalent per unit produced.

The most common scope in initial requests is what’s known as cradle-to-gate: from raw material extraction to the moment the component leaves your facility. The reference methodologies are usually ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol. Some customers also ask for the calculation to include transport to their facilities, or for the results to be third-party verified.

The problem is that when the request arrives, it is rarely well explained. Sometimes it’s just an Excel file with unclear columns. Other times, it references a regulation you are unfamiliar with. And there is almost always a tight deadline.

Where suppliers get stuck

This is where most companies run into problems.

The data exists, but it is scattered: energy consumption in one system, material purchases in another, transport data in an outdated spreadsheet no one maintains. Consolidating everything for a one-off calculation is already a significant effort. But what really impacts day-to-day operations is having to repeat the process constantly because another customer requests it — in a different format and for a different product. Can you imagine the workload involved in doing all of this without a system that automates it?

The second issue is traceability. OEMs do not just want the emissions figure — they want to know where it comes from. A calculation without documented sources and applied emission factors will not pass an audit and immediately creates distrust with the customer.

The result is that many suppliers end up responding late, with weak data, or are simply unable to respond at all.

If this situation sounds familiar, we have prepared a specific guide for industrial suppliers explaining exactly how to overcome this challenge. Learn what your customer is really asking for, which data you need, and how to build a defensible first calculation without disrupting your operations.

Download the free guide

The implications are directly commercial. Suppliers that cannot demonstrate the carbon footprint of their products face delays in supplier approval processes, difficulties renewing contracts, and lost tenders to competitors that already have the data. If you cannot provide it, another supplier will.