Emission Factor Database
An emission factor database is a curated, structured collection of conversion factors used to translate activity or spend data into greenhouse gas emissions. Key databases include the UK's DEFRA/DESNZ factors, the IEA, ecoinvent, the US EPA, and the IPCC.
What is Emission Factor Database?
Emission factor databases are the reference libraries that underpin all carbon accounting calculations. They contain thousands of conversion factors mapping specific activities (burning fuel, consuming electricity, purchasing goods, disposing of waste, travelling) to their greenhouse gas emissions per unit of activity.
The most important databases for UK carbon accounting are the DEFRA/DESNZ UK Government GHG Conversion Factors (published annually, covering fuels, electricity, transport, waste, water, refrigerants, and more), the IEA Emission Factors (country-specific electricity grid factors for international reporting), ecoinvent (the most comprehensive lifecycle assessment database, containing over 18,000 datasets covering materials, chemicals, energy, transport, and waste), and the IPCC Emission Factor Database (global reference factors published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
For Scope 3 spend-based calculations, EEIO (environmentally extended input-output) databases are used: the DEFRA Scope 3 factors, the US EPA Supply Chain GHG Emission Factors, and Exiobase are the most common. For construction-sector embodied carbon, the ICE Database (University of Bath) is widely used in the UK.
The choice of database affects the result. Different databases may provide different factors for the same activity due to differences in methodology, geographic scope, system boundaries, and vintage. Best practice is to: use the database recommended by the applicable reporting framework (DEFRA for SECR, for example); apply factors consistently across reporting periods; disclose which databases were used; and match the factor's geographic scope to the activity's location (UK factors for UK operations, IEA factors for international operations).
Database maintenance is a critical but often underestimated task. Emission factors change annually, new datasets are published, and methodologies evolve. Organisations using spreadsheets risk applying outdated or incorrect factors. Automated carbon accounting platforms maintain factor libraries and apply the correct version automatically, reducing error risk.
Practical Examples
A UK company uses the DEFRA/DESNZ 2024 dataset for all Scope 1 fuel factors, UK grid electricity, business travel, waste, and water — the standard reference for SECR-compliant reporting.
An international organisation supplements DEFRA with IEA country-specific electricity factors for its offices in France, Germany, and Australia — each country's grid has a different carbon intensity.
A construction consultant uses the ICE Database v3.0 to estimate embodied carbon of steel, concrete, and glass for a new building design, cross-referencing with EPDs where available from specific manufacturers.
How Climatise Helps
Climatise maintains a comprehensive, up-to-date library of over 50,000 emission factors from DEFRA, IEA, EEIO, and other authoritative databases. When new annual datasets are published, the platform is updated automatically. Factor selection is handled by the system based on activity type, geography, and reporting year — eliminating manual lookups.
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