The environmental footprint

LCA is a method for assessing the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, from raw material extraction to the product's end-of-life (disposal or recycling).

The carbon footprint of a product only considers the impact of the product's GHG emissions on climate change. The objective here is to identify the life cycle stages that emit the most GHGs and then propose reduction solutions.

In contrast, the environmental footprint is a more comprehensive view that takes into account all the environmental impacts of a product, such as the consumption of natural resources, air, water, and soil pollution, loss of biodiversity, etc.

Thus, the environmental footprint includes the carbon footprint but goes beyond by considering all environmental aspects.