The Nickel Institute recently shared guidelines on how to critically assess the carbon footprint data of nickel products. Understanding this carbon footprint is crucial for decision-making related to emissions reduction and climate change mitigation, especially in green energy transition value chains.
The Institute stresses the importance of using hard, factual data over modeled data. They recommend adherence to the internationally accepted ISO Standards, which are scientific tools for measuring products’ carbon footprints. Using modeled data deviates from these precise procedures and may not be universally accepted.
Other key considerations shared by the Institute include ensuring the data’s quality and that all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide, are considered. It’s vital to include all greenhouse gases contributing to global warming potential, expressed as “CO2 equivalents”.
The guidelines also emphasize the importance of using agreed methods, covering all by-products, onsite greenhouse gas emissions, and properly modeling electricity usage. They also underscore the necessity to account for the carbon footprint of substances and process chemicals utilized during production. For instance, the Nickel Institute’s life cycle data indicates that these components can constitute up to 25% of the total carbon footprint in nickel production.
Dr. Mark Mistry, an expert in regulatory developments impacting the nickel industry, authored the guidelines. He contributes extensively to the academic and scientific discussion on life cycle assessment, the advantages of nickel use and recycling, and the creation of global sustainability standards.
