Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be classified roughly into two approaches. One is "within the fence-line" and the other is "beyond the fence-line." The former is done by measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and by setting reduction goals for many different "fence-lines," for example, goals for different regions, countries, industries, organizations, etc. The latter approach requires a life-cycle mindset and takes into account the problem of carbon leakage that occurs among the different fence-lines. It is believed that this approach will provide important insights and benefits when striving to reduce GHG emissions in a global economy. One implementation of this approach is the identification of the carbon footprint of products (CFP), which indicates the global warming impacts of products and services throughout their life cycle. The Japanese printing industry has been eager to calculate the CFPs of its products. It has been determined that product weight and the number of copies are two key factors that influence the CFP value of printed materials. Owing to the earthquake and the subsequent severe nuclear crisis, Japan can no longer rely heavily on nuclear power. With the emergence of developing countries around the world, fossil fuel prices are expected to fluctuate and rise. Under these circumstances, CFP is not only a method for communicating the corporate social responsibility (CSR), but it can also be seen as a tool to identify fossil fuel hotspots throughout the value-chain of a product. Using CFP as an evaluation tool can spur innovation, reducing not only GHG emissions but also costs and future risks. This will lead to an increased competitive advantage for individual products, and it should help organizations to build a more robust and sustainable business.
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