Methodology
The Product Carbon methodology aims to provide an order of magnitude of CO2-eq at product level either by displaying the Global Warming Potential as established in Supplier’s CO2-eq declarations or Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) or by providing carbon footprint estimates at the ETIM (ElectroTechnical Information Model) class or sub ETIM class levels. It uses available data and assumptions to cover a large number of products and is formulated according to the following steps.
Supplier CO2-eq declarations or Environmental Product Declarations
Sonepar’s suppliers provide their CO2-eq declarations or Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The CO2-eq presented corresponds to the Global Warming Potential on the full lifecycle of products (Cradle to Grave CO2-eq) and is published when available.
Sonepar estimates
Data collection
For products where Supplier CO2-eq data are not available, Sonepar performs estimates and collects available CO2-eq information from:
- Primary Green offer data sent by Suppliers
- Supplier CO2-eq declarations and Environmental Product Declarations sent to Sonepar
- Supplier Environmental Product Declarations collected in PDF and parsed using AI Machine Learning algorithms
- Supplier Environmental Product Declarations from data pools
Machine Learning regressions
Sonepar performs regressions to estimate the average CO2-eq. with the available carbon data and product features data such as power, dimensions, etc. Regressions are performed to divide ETIM classes into homogeneous sub classes and provide an order of magnitude on products. These process is performed according to the following steps:
Each class includes an average CO2-eq value per subclass and most influential product parameter(s) for the sub classes. From 1 to 4 parameters can be used to sub-classify products. The range is defined using the standard deviation and a markup is applied on the results to consider the uncertainty compared to actual declarations from suppliers.
The carbon footprint is then expressed in kg of CO2-eq, which includes CO2-eq as well as the additional greenhouse gases recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Third Assessment Report, 2001) and corresponds to the life-cycle emissions for each product, including construction, transport, usage, and end of life.
Example with a LED-Lamp in ETIM class EC001959 with 1 parameter
When a customer wants to determine an order of magnitude, the result from the regression enables to determine a product CO2-eq based on its technical specifications and the regression subcategories. In the example below, a LED Lamp with an energy consumption of 7 Watts fits in the subcategory number 2 which corresponds to an average CO2-eq of 56 kg CO₂-eq .
CO2 Display Decision Tree
The following decision tree summarizes how to indicate CO2-eq on a product. Note that when a regression cannot be achieved on an ETIM class, no CO2-eq is displayed unless a Supplier Declaration is available.
What is next ?
Sonepar started with Products in the Cables & Wires, Lighting, Installation Materials and Industrial Automation categories. In the future, Sonepar aims to improve the methodology coverage with the inclusion of additional ETIM classes. Sonepar prioritizes ETIM classes where CO2-eq information on some products is already available. Sonepar will also engage its suppliers to provide additional carbon information to cover its portfolio.
