To determine the amount of your greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) we have thousands of emission factors in our database! We consult different databases based on the data type.

Emissions Factor selection

To select the most appropriate one for your activity, we follow a clear process: 

Hierarchical Approach

1. Whenever possible, we use company-specific or supplier-specific data, such as measured emissions from a specific facility or product. 

2. If specific emission factors are not available, we use data published by reputable national or international agencies, ensuring scientific accuracy. We prefer sources that frequently and reliably publish updates over those with irregular publishing schedules. 

Geographical Relevance

Users can usually select a specific geography. If this is not possible, users will have the option to choose the most suitable geography from the available options. 

Temporal Relevance

We strive to keep our emission factors database as current as possible, reflecting the latest data for the relevant time period. We check for updates in our sources twice a year and update our database accordingly. If an emission factor is not available for your activity year, we will use the most recent one available.

Emissions Factors types

There are 3 data types that you can upload: usage/consumption data, expenditure data and weight data.

Usage and consumption data

For this type of data, Pilio mainly uses:

- UK DEFRA’s Carbon emission factors,

- plus other international datasets on country-specific data so as to reflect differences from country to country.

Expenditure data

For this type of data, Pilio uses the adjusted to present

• DEFRA's Carbon Footprint for the UK and England to 2020 (for spending excluding VAT)
• DEFRA’s Annex E: Supply chain emissions carbon conversion factors for data prior to 2020 (for spending excluding VAT).

Weight data

For this type of data, Pilio mainly uses the University of Bath Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) carbon emission factors for embodied carbon in materials. Emissions are calculated using a "Cradle To (factory) Gate" boundary.

Custom carbon emission factors

Within Pilio, users can set custom emission factors based on their best knowledge or supplier-disclosed emissions.

For example, do you already know your supplier/item-specific emissions? Then you can add this to your business-specific database of carbon emission factors and use this.

Check our FAQ on how to set custom emission factors for more information.

To see more on what type of results you can get, check our FAQ on how to view the Carbon Footprint results.