How Is Carbon Footprint Calculated?

What Is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

LCA is a systematic method for evaluating a product's total environmental impact "from cradle to grave." Starting from raw material extraction, energy consumption, water usage, and emissions at every stage — production, transportation, use, and end of life — are calculated individually.

When conducting an LCA study, researchers ask questions such as: How much energy was required to produce this raw material? What source did that energy come from? How many kilometers were traveled to transport this product? Each step has an emission factor, and these are calculated cumulatively.

Why Don't We Provide Exact Formulas?

Because even for the same product, results can vary significantly depending on context. A T-shirt produced in Turkey and the same T-shirt produced in Bangladesh may have different carbon values, since their electricity grids differ and transportation distances vary.

That is why this site adopts a comparative approach rather than exact figures. Instead of saying "this product emits less carbon than that one," we prefer to say "this product offers a lower impact compared to similar ones for these reasons."

Average Impacts: For a General Idea

Some average values commonly found in the research literature can help provide context. The life cycle carbon impact of a cotton T-shirt is typically measured at 5–15 kg CO₂e. A smartphone leaves a carbon footprint of approximately 70–80 kg CO₂e.

The Comparative Approach

The core logic of Carbon Compass is this: when choosing between two similar products, understanding which one carries a lower impact. To do this, we look at factors such as production materials, packaging type, source region, and product lifespan.