Scope 3.12 - End-of-Life of sold Products
Why Scope 3.12 "End-of-Life Treatment of Sold Products" matters
Your commitment to sustainability extends across the full lifecycle of your products—even after their useful life ends.
Scope 3.12 captures the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the final treatment or disposal of products you have sold, whether recycled, landfilled, incinerated, composted, or otherwise processed.
Embracing responsibility for your products' end-of-life impact demonstrates powerful integrity and compassion. It sends a message to customers, regulators, and peers that your organization leads with foresight and cares deeply about environmental consequences. By fostering collaboration with recyclers, customers, and supply chain partners, you help build a circular economy—transforming waste into new value and reducing our collective climate footprint.
What’s Included in Scope 3.12?
Scope 3.12 accounts for emissions from downstream management of your sold products, at the point when customers or end-users discard them. This phase can include:
- Landfilling: Emissions from product decomposition or breakdown in landfill settings (e.g., methane from organic waste).
- Incineration (with or without energy recovery): CO₂ and other greenhouse gases released during burning.
- Recycling: Emissions from reprocessing (offset by avoided virgin material production, if desired).
- Composting: GHGs emitted from the decomposition of organic products.
- Other treatment: Any process handling your products at end-of-life.
Not included:
- Products you lease to others (these fall under 3.13, if relevant).
- Waste from your own manufacturing (see Scope 3.5).
- Collection, distribution, or use of your products prior to end-of-life (see Scopes 3.9–3.11).
What Data Do You Need?
We appreciate that full visibility on product fate can be tricky—especially when products have long or uncertain lifespans. Start with best-available data and commit to improvement over time:
1. Detailed Product- and Region-Specific Data (High Quality)
- Information on how, where, and when your products are typically disposed of by customers.
- Country- or region-specific waste treatment rates (e.g., % landfilled, recycled, incinerated).
- Composition data for the sold product (materials, weight) and specific end-of-life emission factors.
2. Industry or Market Averages (Medium Quality)
- Published reports, national or industry statistics on end-of-life treatment of similar products.
- Standardized life cycle analysis databases (e.g., Ecoinvent, GABI, EPA WARM).
3. Generic Assumptions (Minimum Quality)
- Default global averages or modelled scenarios for product disposal (e.g., 50% landfill, 30% incineration, 20% recycled).
- Material-specific emission factors from regulatory or scientific sources.
Tip: Always transparently document assumptions, data sources, and improvement opportunities.
What Should You Watch Out For?
- Boundary clarity: Only include emissions directly attributable to treatment of your products at end-of-life, not those from packaging (see 3.7) or operations (see earlier scopes).
- Allocation keys: For complex or multi-material products, allocate emissions by material fraction; for multi-output waste processes (like waste-to-energy), use established allocation approaches.
- Regional variation: Waste management practices (and thus emissions) can vary widely by geography. Whenever possible, use country-/market-specific information.
- Double counting: Ensure consistency with Scope 3.5 (waste from your operations) and Scope 3.7 (product packaging).
- Circularity impacts: If your product is recycled and displaces virgin material extraction, you may** report avoided emissions separately** for transparency and positive storytelling.
- Stakeholder engagement: Work compassionately with recyclers, customers, and take-back partners to improve product circularity data and performance.
Example of Data Needed
| Product Sold | End-of-Life Pathways | Data Points | Allocation Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic packaging | Landfill, recycling, incineration | Regional recycling rates, weight, composition | % per pathway × emission factor |
| Electronics | Treatment methods (WEEE, etc.) | Mass, metals/plastics ratio, average fate | Material split × disposal route |
| Paper products | Recycling, composting, landfill | Local collection/treatment rates | Volume sold × country treatment share |
| Furniture | Landfill, incineration, donation | Typical fate and mass | Proportion of each disposal type |
Our Support for Your Quality Journey
- Start where you are: Begin with industry averages or public data; as you grow, deepen engagement with customers and recycling/take-back partners for higher precision.
- Deliver quality: Focus on the most material product lines and regions—every improved data point counts.
- Feedback is a gift: Invite recyclers and major customers to share data or discuss improvements in product recyclability. Share your journey transparently and welcome input.
- Act sustainably: Innovate for design for disassembly, recyclability, and durability—helping your customers close the loop and minimize waste.
- Be compassionate and collaborative: Recognize diverse challenges in global waste management. Extend understanding and support in your value chain partnerships.
Summing Up: Checklist for Scope 3.12
- Identify all main product types sold and assess typical end-of-life treatment scenarios per region.
- Gather (and document) best-available data on fate shares and related emission factors.
- Transparently allocate, calculate, and report emissions based on your product flows.
- Communicate clearly about data quality, uncertainties, and plans for data enhancement.
- Engage your value chain for better data and design for improved end-of-life outcomes.
Compassionate Circularity for a Greener Future
Caring for the end-of-life stage of your products means going the extra mile for our planet, your customers, and future generations. With every recycled unit, every design improvement, and every honest conversation, you build trust and amplify positive impact across the value chain.
At Global Changer, we’re honored to support your end-of-life sustainability journey—helping you turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s opportunity.