Product Decarbonisation

Product decarbonisation is the process of reducing or eliminating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product throughout its life cycle: raw materials, manufacturing, logistics, the use phase and end-of-life. Unlike organisation-level decarbonisation, it focuses on a single product or product family, which makes it the building block for credible corporate and national net-zero strategies.

Why product decarbonisation matters

For most companies, the bulk of emissions sits not in their own operations but in their products and supply chains, that is, in Scope 3 emissions. Decarbonising products is therefore essential to reduce a company's total carbon footprint, to meet regulatory and customer expectations, and to maintain access to markets where low-carbon performance is becoming a purchasing criterion.

How a product's footprint is measured

Decarbonisation starts with measurement. The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) quantifies the emissions of a specific product, typically following ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard, and is built on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A clear baseline is what allows reductions to be tracked and verified.

Main decarbonisation levers

• Ecodesign and material efficiency: rethinking the product through ecodesign to use fewer and lower-impact materials.
• Low-carbon inputs: substituting materials with high embodied carbon for recycled or bio-based alternatives.
• Clean energy in manufacturing: switching to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency.
• Use-phase efficiency: designing products that consume less energy or water in operation.
• Circularity at end-of-life: improving recyclability, reuse and durability in line with the circular economy.

Setting and tracking targets

Credible programmes prioritise actions using marginal abatement cost (MAC) analysis and align targets with climate science. The Science-Based Targets approach helps ensure reductions are consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Progress is usually tracked through absolute reduction versus baseline and through carbon intensity (kg CO2e per unit produced).

Examples

• Low-carbon concrete: reducing clinker content and incorporating supplementary cementitious materials to cut process emissions.
• Plant-based foods: typically lower-impact than equivalent animal-protein products.
• Recycled textiles: mechanically recycled polyester (rPET) commonly cuts emissions by roughly 30 to 70 percent versus virgin polyester, depending on the assessment.

Common challenges

• Supply-chain data: obtaining reliable primary data from suppliers remains difficult.
• Cost and maturity: some low-carbon materials and technologies are still expensive or not yet at scale.
• Trade-offs: a change that lowers carbon can affect other impacts such as water use or biodiversity, so a full life-cycle view is needed.

Done well, product decarbonisation reduces climate impact, strengthens competitiveness and supports broader net-zero commitments. At Manglai we help companies measure their product and corporate carbon footprint and build credible reduction plans. Discover how Manglai can help you.