# Is ISO 14067 certification mandatory, and who can verify a product carbon footprint?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/is-iso-14067-certification-mandatory

No. ISO 14067 sets out how to calculate and report a product carbon footprint; it does not require third-party verification. Buyers, labels or programmes may require it. When they do, an independent verification body checks the footprint against ISO 14064-3, ideally one accredited to ISO 14065.

## What ISO 14067 itself requires

There is no ISO 14067 certificate issued by ISO. ISO writes standards; it does not audit companies.

- A defined functional or declared unit and system boundary, such as cradle to gate.
- Quantification of all greenhouse gases in kg CO2e, with stated GWP values.
- A CFP study report documenting data, assumptions, allocation and limitations.
- Rules for communicating a footprint publicly are left to other standards, such as ISO 14026 on footprint communication.

## Who can verify a footprint

Verification of a GHG statement, including a product footprint, follows ISO 14064-3:2019. The bodies that do it are validation and verification bodies, which should be accredited to ISO 14065:2020 by a national accreditation body. A consultant who helped you build the footprint cannot also verify it.

The verifier samples your data back to source documents, checks factors and allocation, and issues a verification statement at limited or reasonable assurance.

## When you actually need verification

If a buyer only wants a figure for their own Scope 3 estimate, a well documented self-declared footprint is often accepted. Ask before paying for verification.

- A buyer's supplier code or tender asks for a verified PCF.
- You publish the figure on packaging, a website or an EPD.
- A programme, label or product passport scheme names verification as a condition.
- A lender uses the figure for a sustainability linked loan.

## How to make verification cheaper

1. Keep every invoice and bill behind your energy and material quantities, linked to the figure it supports.
2. Write down each emission factor with its source and version.
3. Document how plant energy is split between products.
4. Run the calculation the same way every period so the verifier can compare years.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible's calculator gives a cradle to gate estimate, and its records keep the document trail a verifier can sample. It is not a verification body and issues no verification statement.

- [Product carbon footprint calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/product-carbon-footprint)
- [Is Senseible a certifier?](https://senseible.earth/answers/is-senseible-a-certifier)
- [What goes in an ISO 14067 report](https://senseible.earth/answers/what-goes-in-an-iso-14067-report)
- [Limited vs reasonable assurance](https://senseible.earth/answers/limited-vs-reasonable-assurance-emissions)

Sources: [ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org), [ISO 14064-3:2019 validation and verification of GHG statements; ISO 14065:2020 requirements for verification bodies (iso.org)](https://www.iso.org)

Last reviewed 2026-10-15.