Roundtable Discussion:
The Product Durability and Lifetime Emissions Dilemma

As part of the European Green Deal, the EU Commission is inciting companies within the Union to produce more durable and longer-lasting products with a focus on circularity. While this is a positive development, there is a dilemma from a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions point of view.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s methods for calculating emissions related to ‘use of sold products’ put the responsibility of all these emissions in the hands of the company: Hence, the longer the product lifespan, the more emissions associated with using the product a company must account for.

This provides few incentives for companies to create durable products from a GHG emissions perspective. In fact, a potential negative consequence of this dilemma could be that some companies may be reducing their products’ lifespan to meet climate targets.

As this dilemma has been acknowledged by several member companies within Global Compact Network Denmark, we are setting up a roundtable discussion on the matter.

The purpose of the roundtable discussion is to outline and discuss the dilemma and discuss possible solutions at a company-level and suggested solutions or alterations in the SBTi framework or the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Are you interested in participating? Please reach out to Head of Programmes, Joachim Marc Christensen, using the contact information below.