What emission factor sources are used in M2030?

Manufacture 2030's Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) tool utilizes emission factors from several authoritative sources. These sources are collected and curated to make sure the calculations are as accurate as possible. The following sources are used:

• Ecoinvent is one of the leading sources for detailed environmental data. Think of it as a comprehensive library of emission information that covers everything from industrial processes to energy systems. You'll find Ecoinvent factors in both our materials catalog and the processes & services sections of the PCF Builder.

  Here's what makes Ecoinvent special: while most other sources in the PCF Builder select the right factor for you automatically, with Ecoinvent you get to choose the factor that best matches your production process. This gives you more control over your calculations.

• When it comes to transportation emissions, we use the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework (Version 3). This helps you calculate emissions from moving your products around - whether by road, rail, air, or sea.

  We've integrated GLEC's factors to help you track emissions from:

  • Transporting your materials
  • Storing your materials
  • Your own vehicle fleet

  It's the gold standard for logistics emissions calculations, ensuring your transportation footprint is measured accurately.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides globally-accepted standards for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. We use its 2006 Guidelines to help calculate emissions from:

  • Energy use
  • Industrial processes
  • Agriculture
  • Land use changes
  • Waste management

  These guidelines are the backbone of national-level emissions reporting, and we've adapted them to work for individual products too. They're particularly helpful for calculating emissions from energy use, waste handling, and various industrial processes. 

• We prioritize using emission factors from official government agencies whenever possible. This is because they provide the most up-to-date and region-specific data for your calculations. These sources are particularly important for energy-related emissions, and they're updated annually to stay current.

  Here are some of our key sources:

  • US EPA GHG Emission Factor Hub
  • UK DESNZ GHG Conversion Factors
  • Bilans Ademe
  • European Environment Agency
  • National inventory reports from the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change

• For electricity-related emissions, we turn to Ember, an independent energy think tank. It specializes in tracking how electricity generation affects emissions across different countries, with a particular focus on the transition from coal to cleaner energy sources. Ember’s data helps us give you accurate emissions figures for electricity use in different regions.

   How is Ember data integrated into M2030? 

  We process Ember's data to make it even more useful for you by splitting it:

  1. Direct emissions: These come from generating the electricity (like burning fuel in power stations).
  2. Upstream emissions: These come from everything that happens before generation (like mining and transporting the fuel).

  This split helps us give you more detailed insights into your electricity-related emissions.

Still curious about the emission factor sources we use within your calculations? Want to use your own emission factors instead of the database? Send us a message.