A carbon footprint refers to the overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions released directly or indirectly by an individual, organisation, product or activity over a given period (generally a year or throughout the entire lifecycle of a product). A carbon footprint is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).

This measurement is used to determine the impact of human activities (consumption of energy and raw materials) on the environment and their contribution to climate change.

The term carbon footprint is used because CO2 is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, etc.) are converted into CO2e using their Global Warming Potential (GWP).