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Emission factor sources

An overview of the different types of emission factors Cozero is using

Updated over 7 months ago

Where are emission factors coming from?

For carbon accounting to be as accurate as possible it is necessary to have a broad amount of data. There are many different databases and sources from organizations and governments which have gone through the effort of collecting data relevant to emission assessment and carbon accounting.

Below you can find a list of some of the most relevant databases that are used at Cozero. Because the amount of data to be considered in carbon accounting is so vast, most databases set a specific scope (e.g. a specific industry/ part of the value chain) when gathering data. This makes the data more accurate and the database itself more precise. Similarly, the Lifecycle Scope sets boundaries in the assessment of the emission factors itself. The impact can be assessed e.g. from the extraction of natural resources to the point where the product is finished and before it is distributed (cradle-to-gate) or even further, to the disposal of the product (cradle-to-grave). If you want to learn more about different types of Lifecycle Scopes read the Wiki article on it here. The Cozero categories give insight into what kind of emissions the database looks at following our categorization.

Sources

Name & Description

Scope of database

Lifecycle Scope

Cozero category

Provider &

Link

BEIS/DEFRA

Emission conversion factors for use by UK and international organizations to report on 2022 greenhouse gas emissions.

Reporting of UK operations, relevant to emission reporting, Scope 1-3 emissions with the primary being: Energy use, water consumption, waste disposal, recycling and transport activities.

Cradle-to-grave

Cradle-to-gate

Well-to-tank

Fuel combustion

Electricity generation

End-of-life

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3

gov.uk

IEA

The International Energy Agency offers two datasets of emission factors for electricity emission accounting

Global coverage for both direct electricity emissions from generation and supply chain emissions. Data provided is the most up to date and location specific information.

Direct

Upstream

T&D losses

Scope 2

Scope 3.3

IEA

GLEC

Globally recognized methodology for harmonized calculation and reporting of the logistics GHG footprint across the multi-modal supply chain.

Logistics + transportation emissions

Full well-to-wheel emissions (WTW), and breakdown of well-to-tank (WTT) and tank-to-wheel (TTW)

Cradle-to-grave

Scope 1

Scope 3.4

Scope 3.9

Smart Freight Centre

Bilan Carbone

A public database of emission factors, necessary for carrying out a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions report and more generally for any carbon accounting exercise.

Main: Energy Carriers and Technologies; Transport Services; Materials Production

Cradle-to-grave

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3.1

Scope 3.4

Scope 3.9

Scope 3.11

Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (ADEME)

GEMIS

Life-cycle analysis program and database

Energy, Material, Transportation

Cradle-to-grave

Scope 2

Scope 3.1

Scope 3.3

Scope 3.4

Scope 3.9

Scope 3.11

IINAS

EXIOBASE

Global, detailed Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Supply-Use Table (MR-SUT) and Input-Output Table (MR-IOT). The data used in Cozero is based on CO2/monetary spend

By industry

Cradle-to-grave,

partly cradle-to-cradle

Exiobase consortium

GHG Protocol

Supplies the world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards.

Electricity, Transport

Cradle-to-grave, if not possible cradle-to-gate

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3.3

Scope 3.4

Scope 3.9

GHG protocol

The Higg Index

A suite of tools for the standardized measurement of value chain sustainability.

Fashion/ Textile industry (apparel and footwear)

Cradle-to-gate

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3.1

Sustainable Apparel Coalition

Probas

Public library for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data.

Energy, Materials & Production, Transport, Disposal,

Cradle-to-grave

Scope 1

Scope 3.1

Scope 3.4

Scope 3.5

Scope 3.9

Scope 3.11

Scope 3.12

Umweltbundesamt, IINAS

IPCC Emissions Factor Database

Library of emission factors and other parameters with background documentation or technical references

Energy, Technology

Cradle-to-grave

Scope 1

Scope 2

Scope 3.3

Scope 3.11

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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