Screening-level product carbon footprint calculation supports Fifth Innovation’s development of bio-based building materials

Fifth Innovation is a leading expert of biochar applications and bio-based side stream processing. Their areas of expertise include biochar production process design and implementation, bio-based activated carbons, fast and slow pyrolysis, HTC, biomass separation and utilization, and industrial environmental systems. The company’s laboratory in Tampere enables dedicated product development, testing, and measurement services for a wide range of bio-based materials.

Fifth Innovation has developed an IKI Carbon material, made from side streams of bioeconomy. This building material enables carbon storage in buildings and supports sustainable construction. Developing materials that enhance sustainability in construction is one of Fifth Innovation's core principles, which is why they wanted to determine the climate impact of their product's manufacturing with Etteplan's assistance.

“One of the cornerstones of Fifth Innovation's business is carbon negativity and understanding the carbon footprint. Therefore, it is important for us to keep track of our carbon footprint and monitor its evolution.”

Niko Järvinen

Head of operations at Fifth Innovation

To address this challenge, Etteplan carried out product carbon footprint calculation at a screening level. Screening-level calculation suggests that reporting is produced at a lighter level than a fully standard-compliant assessment and is therefore well-suited for internal use cases. Since Fifth Innovation was interested in understanding the carbon footprint of their product's manufacturing, the calculation was conducted with a cradle-to-gate system boundary, assessing the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the product's manufacturing. The screening-level study enables Fifth Innovation to expand and refine the calculation in the future.

“The screening-level results from cradle-to-gate calculation analyzed the key factors affecting the carbon footprint and their magnitudes, as well as the impact of individual factors on the carbon footprint, allowing Fifth Innovation to plan possible production and technical changes for the future,” explains Heli Kumpulainen, Project Manager at Etteplan.

“The preservation of the same person in the project and fast delivery were significant advantages for us.”

Niko Järvinen

Head of operations at Fifth Innovation

As a result of the product carbon footprint calculation, Fifth Innovation gained up-to-date information about their carbon footprint and support for R&D and production development.