1. What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent
2. What is GHG?
A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.
3. What is LCA?
Life-cycle assessment or LCA is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life-cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. LCA is guided by 14000 series of environmental management standards of ISO, particularly ISO 14040 and 14044.
4. What is an EPD?
An Environmental Product Declaration is defined by International Organization for Standardization 14025 as a Type III declaration that “quantifies environmental information on the life cycle of a product to enable comparisons between products fulfilling the same function.” Visit our website to see full EPD.
5. What is a PCR?
Product Category Rules are a set of rules, requirements and guidelines for developing Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for one or more product categories. Many PCR exist because each category group is associated with a PCR that concentrates on the kind of environmental impacts that are unique to that group.
6. What is included in AFT Carbon Smart™ cellulose insulation footprint?
The carbon footprint for transportation of raw materials to manufacturing plants, manufacturing process, transportation to customers, customer installation, and product disposal are calculated based on the fossil fuel contribution in each step using EPA guidelines / factors.
7. How does AFT Carbon Smart™ cellulose insulation have a negative carbon footprint?
85%+ of the input material is recycled wastepaper which would have emitted carbon dioxide and methane gas when decomposed in a landfill. Recycled wastepaper more than offsets the other LCA carbon footprint.
8. Who establishes the baseline?
AFT contracted with Sustainable Minds to prepare with 3rd party validation.
9. What is AFT doing with this baseline quantification?
Identifying opportunities in our product life cycle to reduce our carbon footprint by sourcing raw materials closer and converting to a “carbon free” electric supply in May 2021.