Railway Product Carbon Footprint: Which Standards and Methodologies Apply?

07/10/2026

ISO 14067, railway PCRs, EPD rules or customer-specific requirements? A practical guide to selecting the appropriate methodology for Product Carbon Footprint calculations in the railway sector.

A customer asks for the carbon footprint of a railway product or component. Should the calculation follow ISO 14067, a railway-specific PCR, an EPD methodology, or simply the customer's own requirements?

There is no single methodology that automatically applies to every railway Product Carbon Footprint (PCF).

The appropriate approach depends on the type of product, its position within the railway system, the intended use of the result and, importantly, the requirements specified by the customer.
For railway suppliers, the first step should therefore not be the calculation itself. It should be the identification of the applicable methodological framework.

Start with the customer requirement

A PCF request may range from a relatively simple request for a value expressed in kg CO₂e per product to a detailed requirement specifying system boundaries, data sources, allocation rules, reporting format or independent verification.

Before starting the calculation, several questions should be clarified:

  • What exact product, component or part number is covered?
  • What is the required declared or functional unit?
  • Is the requested boundary cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave or another defined boundary?
  • Has the customer specified ISO 14067 or another methodology?
  • Is a Product Category Rule (PCR) referenced?
  • Is an EPD required, or only a Product Carbon Footprint?
  • Are primary supplier data required?
  • Is a specific reporting template or platform prescribed?
  • Does the result require independent verification?

The answers determine which rules need to be applied.

ISO 14067 – the general foundation for Product Carbon Footprint

ISO 14067 provides the internationally recognized framework for quantifying and reporting the carbon footprint of products. It is based on life-cycle assessment principles and the requirements of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. For many railway products and components, ISO 14067 can therefore provide the methodological foundation for a PCF calculation.
However, stating that a PCF is calculated "according to ISO 14067" does not answer every methodological question.

Product-specific, sector-specific or customer-specific requirements may further define aspects such as:

  • system boundaries;
  • functional or declared units;
  • allocation;
  • data quality;
  • electricity modelling;
  • transport scenarios;
  • maintenance and replacement;
  • end-of-life scenarios.

This is where railway-specific rules may become relevant.

Rolling stock and components: PCR 2009:05

For rolling stock, an important sector-specific reference is PCR 2009:05 – Rolling stock and parts thereof, developed within the International EPD System with participation from railway-industry organizations and manufacturers. The PCR covers complete rolling stock but can also address product groups and sub-product groups.

This is particularly relevant for components and subsystems such as:

  • car bodies and structural systems;
  • bogies and running gear;
  • braking systems;
  • propulsion equipment;
  • converters and onboard electrical systems;
  • batteries;
  • control and communication equipment;
  • HVAC systems;
  • doors and interior equipment;
  • electrical wiring and cables.

The PCR provides railway-specific rules for LCA and Environmental Product Declarations. This does not mean that every customer request for a railway-component PCF automatically requires an EPD or full compliance with PCR 2009:05. Instead, the PCR may become applicable when an EPD is required or may provide useful sector-specific methodological guidance when the objective is a PCF. The actual requirement must always be established first.

Railway infrastructure requires a different approach

Rolling stock and railway infrastructure should not be treated as the same product category. For railway infrastructure, c-PCR-023 – Railway infrastructure provides complementary Product Category Rules within the International EPD System. Its scope is primarily railway infrastructure at project or system level, including elements such as track, stations, bridges, tunnels, electrification, signalling and telecommunications. Importantly, this methodology is intended for cradle-to-grave assessment, covering the relevant life-cycle stages of the infrastructure. This makes it fundamentally different from a typical supplier PCF request for an individual manufactured component, which may be limited to cradle-to-gate.
A rail, sleeper, switch component or electrical product used in railway infrastructure should therefore not automatically be assessed as though it were an entire railway infrastructure project. The product and purpose of the assessment must first be classified correctly.

Electrical and electronic railway products

Modern rolling stock contains extensive electrical and electronic equipment: converters, control systems, sensors, communication equipment, lighting systems, power electronics and other onboard systems. For these products, horizontal standards for electrical and electronic products may also be relevant. Depending on the purpose of the assessment, IEC 63366 provides Product Category Rules for life-cycle assessment of electrical and electronic products and systems, while IEC 63372 addresses the quantification and communication of carbon footprints and greenhouse-gas information for electrical and electronic products and systems. These requirements may complement the general ISO 14067 framework and applicable railway-sector rules. Again, the correct methodology depends on the specific product and customer requirement.

Batteries may be subject to regulatory requirements

Railway batteries require particular attention. Depending on their characteristics and classification, certain batteries may fall within the scope of the EU Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which introduces specific carbon-footprint and sustainability requirements for defined battery categories.
Consequently, a battery carbon-footprint assessment should not automatically begin with a generic ISO 14067 model.
The first step is to establish the battery category, applicable regulatory requirements and intended use of the carbon-footprint result.

PCF and EPD are not the same deliverable

A frequent source of confusion is the relationship between Product Carbon Footprint and Environmental Product Declaration. A PCF focuses on climate-change impact, normally expressed as kg CO₂e per functional or declared unit. An EPD reports a broader set of environmental indicators according to defined Product Category Rules and program-operator requirements. An EPD published within an EPD programme also requires independent third-party verification. A customer asking for the carbon footprint of a component is therefore not automatically asking for an EPD. Requiring a full EPD where only a PCF is needed can significantly increase the amount of work, data and verification involved without necessarily answering the customer's actual request more effectively.

A practical methodology selection process

For a railway supplier receiving a carbon-footprint request, a practical decision process can be summarized as follows:

1. Identify the exact product - Rolling-stock component, electrical/electronic equipment, infrastructure product, battery or another product category.

2. Understand the customer's request - Determine the requested result, boundary, unit, methodology, format and verification requirements.

3. Establish the general methodological basis - For a Product Carbon Footprint, ISO 14067 together with ISO 14040/14044 will often provide the general foundation.

4. Identify applicable sector or product rules - Check railway PCRs, electrical/electronic product rules, construction-product rules, battery legislation or other product-specific requirements where relevant.

5. Apply customer-specific requirements - Customer methodologies, templates, data requirements or supplier rules may further constrain the calculation.

6. Document the methodology - System boundaries, data sources, assumptions, allocation methods, emission factors and exclusions should be transparent and reproducible.

The methodology should follow the product — not the other way around

The most important principle is simple:

A railway PCF methodology should not be selected merely because a particular standard or PCR exists.

It should be selected after understanding:

the product → the customer request → the purpose of the result → the applicable rules.

For a supplier that has just received its first PCF request, this methodological assessment can prevent considerable unnecessary work. In some cases, ISO 14067 and a documented cradle-to-gate calculation may be sufficient. In others, railway-specific PCR requirements, electrical and electronic product rules, regulatory requirements or a full EPD methodology may need to be considered. The calculation begins only after this has been established.

Need to calculate a PCF for a railway product or component?

PCF-X supports railway suppliers in analysing customer carbon-footprint requirements, selecting the appropriate methodology, defining system boundaries, collecting the necessary data and calculating Product Carbon Footprints for products and components.

Calculations can be developed according to ISO 14067 and applicable product-, sector- and customer-specific requirements.

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