Your confusion is merited, as a carbon footprint can be defined in two ways. The first, most common use of the term is the amount of carbon dioxide and/or other greenhouse gases that are emitted during the life cycle of a product; for example, a plastic grocery bag's progression from production all the way to landfill.
The other definition is the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted over a period of one year by an individual's average consumption or lifestyle. For example, how much a person drives his/her car as opposed to taking public transportation. Carbon footprints can refer to the actions of a corporation or an individual, equally.
