Analysis

The Analysis tab contains three tabs: Life cycle stages, Structural elements and Balance. They allow the PCF to be viewed from different angles.

Life cycle stages:

The analysis by life cycle stage shows in which phase the product causes the highest emissions. This can be helpful in defining and implementing targeted measures to reduce emissions. Depending on your selected system boundary, either the two phases of raw material acquisition and production (cradle-to-gate) or all five phases (cradle-to-grave) are shown here.

You can navigate between the different locations using the Structural element dropdown. As the use and end-of-life phases are location independent, the emissions of these phases are shown in all locations in the cradle-to-grave approach. A corresponding note is positioned below the graphic.

In the top right-hand corner, you can switch between a pie chart and a bar chart. You can also use the download arrow to download the graphic including the legend as an image.

Selecting a life cycle stage opens the corresponding sub-stages (level 1). From there, you can switch to the detailed view: If you select a sub-stage at level 1, the corresponding sub-stages (level 2) are displayed. Selecting a sub-stage at level 2 will take you to the corresponding activities. The bar chart is particularly useful here, as all activities are clearly listed one below the other.

You can return to the higher level at any time using the navigation in the upper left corner of the box.

Structural elements:

The Structural elements tab shows which structural element causes the highest emissions in which stage. Each structural element is displayed in a bar. Depending on your selected system boundary, either the two phases of raw material acquisition and production (cradle-to-gate) or all five phases (cradle-to-grave) are shown here.

As the use and end-of-life phases cannot be assigned to a location, an additional location-independent bar is added for the cradle-to-grave approach. You can also download this graphic as an image using the download button in the top right-hand corner.

Clicking on a life cycle stage opens the corresponding sub-stages (level 1). If you then select a sub-stage (level 1), the corresponding sub-stages (level 2) are displayed. You can return to the higher level at any time using the navigation in the upper left corner of the box.

Balance:

In the Balance tab, the emissions for each structural element are displayed for each stage, sub-stage (level 1) and sub-stage (level 2), as well as the total emissions.

Since the use and end-of-life stages cannot be assigned to any structural element, their emissions are included in the balance sheet for each location. A corresponding note has been placed below the table. You can copy the table and paste it into Excel, for example, using the turquoise icon at the top right of the table. 

For the cradle-to-grave system boundary, the two partial results gate-to-gate (production) and cradle-to-gate (raw material acquisition and production) are also shown.

If, on the other hand, the cradle-to-gate system boundary was selected, the gate-to-gate (production) sub-result is reported.