Get ready to decarbonise your Scope 3

TfS PCF Guideline

Calculating the carbon footprint of products provides the best product-level information for identification, tracking and reducing scope 3 GHG emissions in the industry.

In 2022, TfS launched the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Guideline dedicated to calculating the carbon footprint of chemical materials. The Guideline is designed to cover Corporate Accounting and allows suppliers and companies to calculate PCFs and Corporate Scope 3 Category 1 (Scope 3.1 – purchased goods and services) GHG emissions. The PCF Guideline is an open-source.  By using it, suppliers and companies can work together to calculate their carbon footprints and reduce their GHG emissions. This will help decarbonise the entire industry together.

TfS White Paper: Improving and harmonising Scope 3 Reporting 

The TfS White Paper explores the challenges and opportunities for harmonising carbon accounting methodologies in the chemical industry. It discusses the complexities involved and suggests strategies for a more sustainable future. The paper identifies three key modifications that are vital for the chemical industry to implement to improve carbon accounting: Biogenic carbon accounting, Mass Balance as a transition mechanism, and Recycled materials and content. The White Paper highlights the need for a reimagined corporate reporting methodology, which is crucial for the chemical industry’s progress towards a circular economy. This will encourage resource efficiency and reduce GHG emissions.

TfS PCF data-sharing solution

TfS kicked off a pilot of the PCF data-sharing solution, an IT solution using Siemens’ SiGreen technology, that enables TfS members and suppliers to safely share upstream product carbon footprint. It will make it easier for business to conduct cross-industry comparisons and compile and manage their emissions across all three scopes. The pilot is expected to be completed end of Q1 2024.

TfS PCF Data Model

For suppliers to correctly report PCF in the TfS data-sharing solution, TfS developed the PCF Data Model. While the TfS PCF Guideline remains the methodological reference on how to calculate PCF, the Data Model is a more detailed and technical document describing how the PCF should be reported in term of data fields, nomenclature and formatting. The PCF Data Model replaces section §5.3.2 and respective Table 5.20 in version 2.0 of the PCF Guideline.

• First-of-its kind, chemical industry-specific and tailored to meet the unique challenges when calculating PCFs
• “Audit-ready”, ISO-compliant, and accepted by the GHG Protocol
• “Open source”, useful for global industries using chemical materials
• A pilot with more than 50 companies will ensure wide user acceptance and adoption