How to Find the Carbon Footprint of a Product in an EPD

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are powerful tools, but they’re not always user-friendly. If you’re not used to reading one, it can feel like digging through technical noise just to find a single number.

That number? The carbon footprint of the product.

At SIJ Group, we make this information easy to find by highlighting it directly in our documents. But not all producers do that. In fact, many don’t. And in those cases, you’ll need to know exactly where to look and how to read it.

Step 1: Find the Right Section

Scroll through the EPD until you reach the section titled: “Results of the environmental performance indicators”

This is where all the key emissions data is reported. Usually, the first table here is titled: “Mandatory impact category indicators” (or something very similar)

Step 2: Look for the Global Warming Potential (GWP)

In this table, you’re looking for the row labeled: Climate change – total or GWP – total (Global Warming Potential – total)

Make sure you’re looking at the total value — not just GWP-fossil or GWP-biogenic. EPDs break it into categories, but for understanding the total CO₂-equivalent emissions, you need the full sum.

Step 3: Use the A1–A3 Modules

Find the values listed under the columns labeled:

• A1 – Raw material supply
• A2 – Transport
• A3 – Manufacturing

If the EPD gives you a total GWP for A1–A3 already, great. That’s the carbon footprint of the product (also called “cradle-to-gate”).

If not, simply add the three values together.

A1 + A2 + A3 = total product carbon footprint.

Step 4: Understand the Numbers (What’s With the E?)

You might see a value like: 9.16E+02 (kg CO₂ e)

Here’s how to read it:

• “E” stands for “exponent” (this is scientific notation)
• “E+02” means 10 raised to the power of 2 (which is 100)
• So 9.16E+02 means 9.16 × 100 = 916

 That’s 916 kg CO₂-equivalent emissions — the total GWP of the product. 

 Here are a few quick conversions for reference:

• E+00 = 10⁰ = 1
• E+01 = 10¹ = 10
• E+02 = 10² = 100
• E+03 = 10³ = 1000

If A1, A2, and A3 are in different exponents, convert them to the same unit before adding. For example:

• A1: 4.10E+02 = 410
• A2: 3.10E+01 = 31
• A3: 4.75E+02 = 475

 Total: 916 kg CO₂ e