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THE NATIONAL GUIDELINEON PRODUCT CARBON

FOOTPRINTING

ByThe National Technical Committee on Product Carbon Footprinting


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Foreword

The national guideline on product carbon footprinting in this document is developed by the national

technical committee on product carbon footprinting under the collaborative project between Thailand

Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (Public Company) or TGO, and National Metal and

Materials Technology Centre or MTEC, National Science and Technology Development Agency

(NSTDA). The project is aimed to develop guidance on how to conduct the product carbon footprinting

that is expected to be a mechanism to promote the development of environmentally-friendly products.

This guideline defines the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment methodology based on the Life

Cycle Assessment (LCA) concept covering raw material acquisition, manufacture, use and final waste

disposal including related transport in all stages. The guideline can be used as the guidance how to use

carbon footprinting as a tool for assessing GHG emissions of product along its whole life cycle tostimulate the product improvement to increase the energy use efficiency and emit less GHGs. Users of

this guideline could be academicians, industry, and other interested parties. The application of product

carbon footprint will enhance economic growth and promote sustainable development in Thailand.


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List of the national technical committee

Acknowledgement is given to the following committee members and other contributors for their

contributions to the development of the national guideline on product carbon footprinting.

List of the national technical committee on product carbon footprinting

(1) Dr. Pongvipa Lohsomboon (Chair)Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization)

(2) Dr. Rungnapa Tongpool (Vice-chair)National Metal and Materials Technology Center

(3) Dr. Kittinan AnnanonNational Metal and Materials Technology Center

(4) Mr. Athiwatr JirajariyavechNational Metal and Materials Technology Center

(5) Ms. Pornpimon BoonkumNational Metal and Materials Technology Center

(6) Mr. Sudkla BoonyananThailand Environment Institute

(7) Dr. Akajate ApikajornsinEcoDesign Consultant Company

(8) Mrs. Pornpen MeethongmoonFederation of Thailand Industry

(9) Associate Professor Dr. Shabbir H. GheewalaThe Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment

(10) Associate Professor Dr. Prasert Pavasant

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University

(11) Dr. Rattanawan Mungkung

Centre of Excellence on enVironmental strategy for GREEN business, Faculty of Science,

Kasetsart University

(12) Dr. Patcharin Worathanakul

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkuts University of

Technology North Bangkok

(13) Dr. Harnpon Phungrassami

Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasart University


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(14) Assistant Professor Dr. Sate Sampattagul

Research Unit for Energy, Economic and Ecological Management: 3E Science and

Technology Research Institute, Chiang Mai University

(15) Ms. Phakamon Supappunt (Secretary)Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization)

List of other contributors

(1) Associate Professor Dr. Thumrongrut MungcharoenNational Metal and Materials Technology Center and Kasetsart University

(2) Mr. Naruetep LecksiwilaiThailand Environment Institute

(3) Dr. Porntip WongsuchotoNational Excellence Centre of Environmental and Hazardous Waste Management

(4) Dr. Jitti MungkalasiriNational Metal and Materials Technology Center


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Table of contents

Page

Introduction 1

Carbon footprinting methodology 2

1. Scope 22. Normative references 23. Terms and definitions

3.1 Carbon storage

3.2 Carbon offset

3.3 Allocation

3.4 Upstream emissions

3.5 Downstream emissions

3.6 System boundary

3.7 Product Category Rules

3.8 Primary data

3.9 Secondary data

3.10 Biomass

3.11 Carbon dioxide equivalent

3.12 Global Warming Potential

3.13 Biogenic carbon

3.14 Capital goods

3.15 Co-products

3.16 Functional unit

3.17 Material contribution

3.18Cut-off rules

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4. Types of carbon footprinting 45. Supporting data 46. Sources of GHG and Units of measurement 47. Methodological framework

7.1 Goal and scope7.2 Data source and data quality requirement

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8. Carbon footprint calculation 119. Display of results 12


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Introduction

GHG emissions are closely linked to human activities which are associated with energy consumption,

agriculture production, industrial production processing and their growth, transport, deforestation andother forms of natural resource and environmental degradation. These activities cause global warming and

in consequence the adverse effects to humans as well as other organisms. The severity of global warming

problem is increasing. It is therefore the responsibility of all stakeholders including the industry and

agricultural sectors as producers, the service sector as the driver of activities and the public as consumers

should cooperate to reduce GHG emissions in Thailand and at the global scale.

The selection of products and services with lower GHG emissions is one way to participate and contribute

to the GHG management as a result of consumption patterns. The demand for products with lower GHG

emission will be a mechanism to stimulate producers to reduce GHG emissions of their products.

Informing consumers of products carbon footprint, i.e. GHG assessment of the product along its life

cycle, will provide the supporting data for their purchasing decisions.

Carbon footprinting and labelling have been implemented in many countries, namely the UK, France,

Switzerland, Germany, Canada, the US, Japan, Korea, etc. In this connection, the implementation of

carbon footprinting will also enhance the competitiveness of Thai products in global markets, in response

to the market requirements. More importantly, the implementation of carbon footprint in Thailand will

provide the supporting information for global meetings on climate change mitigation.


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Carbon footprinting methodology

1. Scope

This national guideline defines the product carbon footprinting methodology for life cycle GHG

emissions assessment based on the LCA technique. The life cycle approach in LCA covers the following

life cycle stages: raw material acquisition, manufacture, use and final waste disposal including related

transport in all stages. This guideline can be used for assessing the full carbon footprint (i.e. cradle-to-

grave covering all life cycle stages mentioned above) or partial carbon footprint (i.e. cradle-to-gate

covering only raw material acquisition and manufacture).

It should be noted here that carbon footprint indicates only the products global warming impact but not

other environmental impacts such as biodiversity, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, etc.

The carbon footprinting methodology described in this guideline can be applied to all products.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to develop Product Category Rules (PCR) for each product category for

consistency and comparability. For the products that PCR documents are not available yet, the PCRs ofISO 14025 can be used.

2. Normative references

The following references are used for the development of this national guideline on product carbonfootprint:

IPCC 2006, Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

Programme, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations -- Type III environmental declarations -Principles and procedures.

ISO 14040:2006, Environmental management - Life cycle assessment -- Principles and framework.

ISO 14044:2006, Environmental management - Life cycle assessment -- Requirements and guidelines.

ISO 14064-1:2006, Greenhouse gases - Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for

quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

ISO/WD 14067-1, Carbon Footprint of Products - Part 1: Quantification.

Japanese Technical Specification General principles for the assessment and labeling of Carbon Footprintof products, (Japan, 2009)

PAS 2050:2008, Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and

services.


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3. Terms and definitions

3.1 Carbon storage

retaining carbon of biogenic or atmospheric origin in a form other than as an atmospheric gas

3.2 Carbon offset

mechanism for claiming a reduction in GHG emissions associated with a process or product

through the removal of, or preventing the release of, GHG emissions in a process unrelated to the

life cycle of the product being assessed

3.3 Allocation

partitioning the input or output flows of a process or a product system between the product

system under study and one or more other product systems

3.4 Upstream emissions

GHG emissions associated with processes that occur in the life cycle of a product prior to the

processes owned, operated or controlled by the organization implementing carbon footprinting

3.5 Downstream emissions

GHG emissions associated with processes that occur in the life cycle of a product subsequent to

the processes owned or operated by the organization implementing carbon footprinting

3.6 System boundary

set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of a product system

3.7 Product Category Rules

set of specific rules, requirements and guidelines for developing Type III environmental

declarations for one or more product categories

3.8 Primary data

quantitative measurement of activity from a products life cycle that, when multiplied by an

emission factor, determines the GHG emissions arising from a process

3.9 Secondary data

data obtained from sources other than direct measurement of the processes included in the life

cycle of the product

3.10 Biomass

material of biological origin, excluding material embedded in geological formations or

transformed to fossil

3.11 Carbon dioxide equivalent

unit for comparing the radiative forcing of a GHG to carbon dioxide

3.12 Global Warming Potential

factor describing the radiative forcing impact of one mass-based unit of a given greenhouse gas

relative to an equivalent unit of carbon dioxide over a given period of time


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3.13 Biogenic carbon

carbon emissions from biogenic sources

3.14 Capital goods

goods, such as machinery, equipment and buildings, used in the life cycle of products

3.15 Co-products

any of two or more products from the same unit process or product system

3.16 Functional unit

product unit used to define the scope of collecting input and output associated with product

system based on mass or sold unit

3.17 Material contribution

contribution from any one source of GHG emissions of more than 1% of the anticipated life cycle

GHG emissions associated with a product

3.18 Cut-off

emission from unit process that is not taken into the calculation of carbon footprint

4. Types of carbon footprinting

Carbon footprinting can be conducted by one of the following options:

Option 1: Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

The scope of B2C carbon footprinting covers raw material acquisition, manufacture, use and final waste

disposal including related transport in all stages.

Option 2: Business-to-Business (B2B)

The scope of B2B carbon footprinting covers raw material acquisition, manufacture, and distribution up

to the factory gate or distribution to another business organization depending on the specific product

PCR.

5. Supporting data

The data required for carbon footprinting consist of: product name and description, scope of carbon

footprinting, GHG emission factors, and others as indicated in this guideline. All data shall be recorded in

an appropriate format and kept for a minimum of two years or as long as the product is in the market

(whichever is longer).

6. Sources of GHG and Units of measurement

6.1 GHG types


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The six Kyoto gases shall be included in the carbon footprint calculation. The gases are carbon

dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs),

and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

6.2 Equivalency factors of global warming potential

The calculation of GHG emissions shall be in terms of mass of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e)based on the transformation of other GHGs according to their respective equivalency factors for global

warming potential over 100 years as per the latest version of IPCC report. For instance, the equivalency

factor for global warming potential of methane over 100 years as compared to carbon dioxide is 25; this

means that 1 kg of methane has the potential to cause global warming equivalent to 25 kg of carbon

dioxide over 100 years. In other words, the emission of 1 kg methane is 25 kg carbon dioxide equivalent.

6.3 Time period for GHG emission assessment

The GHG emission assessment shall be calculated from the life cycle GHG emissions in terms of

carbon dioxide equivalent over the 100-year period following the formation of product.

When calculating the life cycle GHG emissions in all stages except for the final waste disposal

stage, it should be assumed that GHGs are emitted at a single time at the beginning of the 100-yearperiod.

The GHG calculation for the final waste disposal stage should be based on the delayed emission

within 100 years by multiplying the weighting factor of 0.76 with the year of emission (refer to PAS

2050:2008 clause 6.4.9.1 and Annex B).

6.4 Sources of GHG emissions

These following sources of GHG emissions shall be include in carbon footprinting:

Raw material acquisition; Energy production; Combustion processes; Chemical reactions; Leakage of refrigerants and other fugitive gases; Operations; All transport; Livestock and agricultural production; Waste and waste management

6.5 CO2 emissions from fossil fuel and biogenic sources

CO2 emissions from fossil fuel shall be included in carbon footprinting but not CO2 emissionsfrom biogenic sources.

6.6 Non-CO2 GHG emissions from fossil fuel and biogenic sources

Non-CO2 GHG emissions from fossil fuel as well as biogenic sources shall be included in carbonfootprinting.

6.7 Carbon storage

Carbon storage in products shall be included in carbon footprinting only if the life span of product

is at least 10 years.

6.8 Land use change


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At present, the information on land use change in Thailand is not sufficient for carbon footprint

calculation. As a consequence, land use change is not yet taken into account. In the future, when the

methodology is finalized and the land use change data are available, this aspect will be considered.

6.9 Unit of analysis

The unit of analysis shall be set as per unit of product such as per kg, per liter, per piece, etc.

6.10 Carbon offset

Carbon offset, both complusary1

and voluntary2, shall be excluded in carbon footprint calculation.

Note:1 Carbon offset from Joint Implementation (JI) or Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or

Emission Trading (ET)2

Carbon offset from CDM/JI but not certified by the competent body of the country to which the

project belongs, or not registered with the UNFCCC management committee of CDM

7. Methodological framework

Carbon footprinting, i.e. the assessment of life cycle GHG emissions of product, shall be based on the

four phases of LCA phases (ISO 14040/44): Goal and scope definition, Inventory analysis, Impact

assessment, and Interpretation.

Note: The principles and methodology of LCA are defined in ISO14040 and ISO 14044.

7.1 Goal and scope definition

The goal and scope of carbon footprinting shall be clearly defined according to the objectives of

the application.

7.1.1 GoalThe goal should be defined according to the objective of result application such as the carbon

footprinting of product for assessment of GHG emissions over time, or for communicating

with consumers, or for other purposes depending on user requirement

7.1.2 ScopeThis scope should define the following aspects:

Product Unit of analysis Scope Data sources and data quality Allocation Assumptions, especially use profile Supporting data Limitations of study(1) Unit of analysis

The unit of analysis should be based on ISO 14044 (i.e. the functional unit of product).

The result of carbon footprint should be expressed in terms of mass of carbon dioxide

equivalent per product unit.


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(2) Product system

The product system shall include: raw material acquisition, manufacture, use and finalwaste disposal including related transport in all stages. In case of partial carbon

footprinting (B2B), the scope of study shall be clearly stated to facilitate the correct use

of B2B carbon footprint result.

(3) System boundary

The system boundary shall clearly provide the information about the scope of carbon

footprinting, product system, unit process including associated inputs and outputs. The

detailed information shall be collected particularly for the life cycle stages contributing

significantly to the total carbon footprint. Estimated values could be used for those life

cycle stages contributing not significantly. Unit processes that are not necessary to be

included should be clearly identified.

The scope definition shall be defined according to these requirements:

(3.1) Raw material acquisition

(3.1.1) Raw materials

The GHG emissions from all raw material production, energy consumption and

direct emissions of GHGs shall be included.

Note:

The GHG emissions from raw material include the emissions frommining, extraction (solid, liquid, or gas forms, e.g. steel, oil, natural gas)

as well as wastes occurring during extraction activities and pre-treatment

of raw materials The GHG emissions from agriculture include the emissions from

fertilizer application (nitrous oxide emission from N-fertilizer),

cultivation (e.g. methane from rice fields) and livestock (e.g. methane

from cattle and pigs)

The GHG emissions for unprocessed raw materials (resources in nature)is zero, e.g. bauxite before extraction

(3.1.2) EnergyThe GHG emissions from energy carrier production and energy use over

the life cycle of product shall be included.

Note: GHG emissions from energy include: (1) Emissions at site of energy use

(e.g. coal and gas combustion); (2) Emission from energy carrieracquisition which are: (2.1) Electricity and heat production (2.2) Fuel

used in transport, (2.3) Upstream GHG emissions (mining, transport of

fuel to electricity production site) including biomass acquisition for using

as fuel, and (2.4) Downstream emissions from waste treatmeant and

management from energy conversion


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(3.1.3) Capital goods

The GHG emissions from production of capital goods shall be excluded.

(3.1.4) Manufacturing and service provision

The GHG emissions from manufacturing and service provision associatedwith the life cycle of product shall be included. The GHG emissions from production

of prototype of new product shall be allocated to the main product and co-products.

(3.1.5) Operation of premises

The GHG emissions from operation of premises (i.e. lighting, HVAC and

pollution control systems at the production site) shall be allocated in an appropriate

manner; for instance, the allocation procedure at warehouse (emissions from

production site, warehouse and distribution centre) should be based on the storage

time.

(3.1.6) Transport

The GHG emissions from transport shall be conducted by the followingmethods in decreasing order of preference: (1) Fuel consumption multiplied with

GHG emission factors based on type of fuel used, (2) Average distance of transport

multiplied with the quantity of product and GHG emission factors based on type of

vehicle used for transport, (3) Scenario: Transportation by 22-wheel, 32-ton truck

over a distance of 700 km (estimated from the distance between Bangkok and Chiang

Mai) with empty return trip.

For the partial carbon footprinting (B2B), the system boundary includes

upstream emissions up to the factory gate. For the full carbon footprinting (B2C), the

system boundary includes upstream and downstream emissions (distribution up to

distribution centre or the main selling points).

(3.1.7) Packaging

The primary data of packaging shall be preferred unless such data are not

accessible in which case secondary data can be used. However, if the carbon footprint

of packaging alone is lesser than 5% of the total carbon footprint then the secondary

data can be used.

If the study product itself is the packaging, then the carbon footprint shall be

based on primary data only.

(3.2) Use

The GHG emissions from the use phase shall be included in the full carbon

footprinting (B2C) but excluded for the partial carbon footprinting (B2B).

(3.3) Final waste disposal

The GHG emissions from the final waste disposal phase shall be included in the

full carbon footprinting (B2C) but excluded for the partial carbon footprinting (B2B).

If the primary data cannot be collected, then the secondary data can be used

which shall be based on the waste disposal by landfill taken from the shallow landfill

reported in the IPCC Guideline for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Volume 5:


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Waste (see Table 1). For waste types other than those included in Table 1 and that have

carbon content, the GHG emission factor of 2.32 tCO2 per ton of waste shall be used. In

case of wastes with no carbon content, the GHG emissions shall be zero. For on-site

waste treatment, the GHG emissions shall be based on the actual practice of waste

disposal.

The transport of waste to landfill site shall based on the following scenario:

Transportation by 10-wheel, 16-ton truck through a distance of 40 km; 100% loading on

trip to landfill and empty return.

In case that the methane emitted from landfill is flared, the reduction of GHG

emissions must be taken into account.

Table 1: GHG emissions from the shallow landfill (IPCC, 2006)

Waste type GHG emissions

(tCO2e per ton of waste)Paper 2.93

Fabric 2.00

Food 2.53

Wood 3.33

Garden wastes (i.e. leaves, grass) 3.27

Paper diaper 4.00

Rubber and leather 3.13

(4) System boundary exclusions

These following activities are excluded in the system boundary:

Human energy inputs to processes (e.g. picking fruits by hand) Transport of consumers to and from retail/selling point Transport of employees to and from work Transport by animals

(5) Materiality and immateriality

The carbon footprint calculation shall be based on the life cycle GHG emissions of

product covering at least 95% of the anticipated GHG emissions. Activities having less

than 1% of the anticipated life cycle GHG emissions can be excluded; however, the total

cut-off can not be more than 5% of the anticipated GHG emissions. In case of cut-ff, the

assessed emissions shall be scaled up to represent 100% of the GHG emissions associated

with the product unit defined.

(6) Substitute data for GHG emission factors of inputs

In case that GHG emission factors of some inputs are not available, the emission factors

of substances having similar physical and chemical properties can be used as substitute. If

no such substitute data is available, the highest emission factor of the inputs in that life

cycle stage can be used as the substitute.

7.2 Data sources and data quality


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7.2.1 Data quality

These following aspects shall be taken into account in terms of data quality:

(a) Time-related coverage: consider data age and average data from annual production(b) Geographical coverage: consider data collected from different geographical locations

according to the objective of carbon footprint study (for example, rubber cultivation

in Nakorn Sri Thammarat province in the South of Thailand)

(c) Technology coverage: specify whether specific or mixed technology(d) Precision: consider variation in data depending of type of database, if available(e) Completeness: completeness of inputs and outputs based on direct measurements or

estimation

(f) Representativeness: consider time, geography and technology based on the actualsituation with justification (for example, jasmine rice cultivation in the North-Eastcan be used as representative data for Thailand as the production volume from that

region is higher than others or oil palm cultivation in the South can be used as the

representative data as it is the main production hub)

(g) Consistency: perform qualitative assessment by considering if the databasedevelopment are similar or not, for instance, use similar system boundary and data

collection method for dark and light shades in dyeing;

(h) Reproducibility: enable the reproducibility of results by another person using similarmethods

(i) Source of data: demonstrate the source and reliability of data, both primary andsecondary

(j) Uncertainty: take into account the data uncertainty issues, e.g. allocation method, cut-off, assumptions, etc.

7.2.2 Data type

The type of data used for carbon footprint calculation shall be based on these principles:

(1) Primary dataAll direct activities under control of the organisation implementing carbon footprinting

shall be the primary data (e.g. energy and raw material use, transport of raw materials,etc.)

(2) Secondary dataIf the primary data are not accessible (e.g. upstream emissions, activities outside the

control of implementing organisation), then secondary data can then be used.

The sources of secondary data shall be based on these following sources in decreasing

order of preference:


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National LCI database Peer-reviewed journal, technical report, or theses in the context of Thailand Databases available in LCA software Publications from international organisations (e.g. UN, FAO, etc.)

7.2.3 GHG emissions from fuel

The GHG emissions from fuels shall include the production of fuel and the emission

factor from fuel use (e.g. kgCO2e/kg fuel, kgCO2e/MJ electricity or heat) based on the

source of energy used.

7.2.4 On-site heat and electricity production

Where heat and/or electricity are produced on-site, the carbon footprint calculation shall

include the GHG emissions from combustion processes as well as upstream emissions.

7.2.5 Off-site heat and electricity production

Where electricity and/or heat are generated offsite, the emission factors used shall be

either:a) For electricity and heat delivered by a stand-alone source (i.e. not part of larger energy

transmission system), the emission factor relevant to that source

b) For electricity and heat delivered via a larger energy transmission system, secondary

data that is as specific to the product system as possible (e.g. average GHG emissions of

the grid mix of that country).

8. Carbon footprint calculation

The calculation of carbon footprint shall be done by:

8.1 Converting the primary and secondary data of inputs/outputs to GHG emissions bymultiplying their loadings with the respective emission factors

8.2 Converting the GHG emissions into CO2e by multiplying the individual GHG emissions

figures by the relevant GWP

8.3 Deducting the impact of carbon storage associated with the product from the total calculated

at step 8.2

8.4 Finalising the carbon footprint result, expressed in terms of CO2e per product unit:

(1) Full carbon footprinting (B2C) The carbon footprint result of use phase should

indicate the assumptions/scenarios of use profile; other useful information for consumers should

be provided (such as instructions on waste management after use);(2) Partial carbon footprinting (B2B) The carbon footprint result should be disclosed to

their clients with details of system boundary (i.e. another business organisation or another

producer in the same supply chain) but not to the final consumers to avoid confusion;

(3) Carbon footprinting other than B2B/B2C scope should be informed to consumers as

the additional information.


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9. Displaying the carbon footprint result

The carbon footprint result shall be displayed based on the rounding rules described in the Thai Industrial

Standards Institute (TISI) standard number 929-2522 with three significant digits such as 3.15 kg, 152 g,

etc.

The partial carbon footprint (B2B) result shall not be displayed on the packaging of product, but can be

publicized on website, brochure, report, etc.

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