# What is the difference between an LCA and a product carbon footprint, and which one does my buyer actually need?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/lca-vs-product-carbon-footprint

A product carbon footprint measures one impact, climate change, in kg CO2e per unit. A full life cycle assessment covers many impacts, such as water use, acidification and eutrophication. If your buyer asks for a carbon footprint, PCF or Scope 3 data, a PCF is enough. An EPD or ecodesign request needs an LCA.

## How the two are related

ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 set out how to do an LCA. ISO 14067 defines a product carbon footprint as an LCA that looks at only one impact category, climate change. So a PCF uses the same life cycle method, with the same goal and scope, inventory and interpretation steps, but reports a single number in kg CO2e.

## Side by side

- Impacts: PCF covers greenhouse gases only. LCA covers a chosen set of impact categories, often ten or more.
- Standard: PCF follows ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol Product Standard. LCA follows ISO 14040 and 14044, often with sector rules.
- Data needed: PCF needs energy, fuel, materials and transport with carbon factors. LCA needs the same inventory plus water, emissions to air, water and soil, and land use.
- Effort and cost: an LCA usually takes much longer and often needs specialist software and databases.
- Review: an LCA used for public comparative claims needs a critical review panel under ISO 14044.

## Which one your buyer needs

1. Request says carbon footprint, PCF, kg CO2e per unit, Scope 3 or supplier emissions: a PCF.
2. Request says EPD, especially for construction products: an LCA to the product category rules, independently verified.
3. Request says PEF, ecodesign or multiple environmental indicators: an LCA.
4. Request is unclear: ask which indicators and which standard they will accept, and whether cradle-to-gate is enough.

## Starting with a PCF is not wasted work

The inventory you build for a PCF, quantities of materials, energy and transport per unit, is the core of an LCA too. If a buyer later asks for more impacts, you extend the same data rather than starting again.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible's product carbon footprint calculator estimates a climate-only footprint from published factors, and your energy invoices supply the primary data. It does not produce multi-impact LCAs covering water, acidification or other categories, or EPDs.

- [Product carbon footprint calculator](https://senseible.earth/calculators/product-carbon-footprint)
- [ISO 14067 vs GHG Protocol Product Standard](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/iso-14067-vs-ghg-protocol-product-standard-explained)
- [The four stages of an LCA](https://senseible.earth/answers/what-are-the-four-stages-of-an-lca)
- [Does an LCA need a critical review?](https://senseible.earth/answers/does-an-lca-need-a-critical-review)

Sources: [ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006, Life cycle assessment](https://www.iso.org), [ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products](https://www.iso.org)

Last reviewed 2026-10-15.