Understanding emission factors

What is an emission factor?

An emission factor converts an activity (e.g., liters of diesel consumed) into greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂e). It represents the average emissions per unit of activity, based on scientific measurement and standardized databases.

Example: Burning 1 liter of diesel emits approximately 2.68 kg CO₂e.

Where do Dcycle’s factors come from?

Dcycle uses emission factors from internationally recognized sources:

Source	Coverage	Updated
DEFRA (UK Government)	Fuels, transport, waste, materials	Annually
ADEME (French Agency)	Full lifecycle factors	Annually
EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency)	US-specific fuels and materials	Annually
IPCC AR6	Global warming potentials	Per assessment cycle
IEA	Electricity grid factors by country	Annually

Dcycle maintains a library of 15,000+ emission factors and updates them as new versions are published.

How factors are applied

When you enter activity data (e.g., an electricity invoice), Dcycle:

1. Identifies the activity type and unit
2. Matches it to the most appropriate emission factor based on your country, fuel type, and reporting year
3. Multiplies: activity × factor = emissions (kg CO₂e)
4. Assigns the result to the correct GHG Protocol scope

Custom emission factors

If you need to use a specific factor (e.g., from your supplier or a certification body):

1. Go to Settings → Emission Factors
2. Click Add Custom Factor
3. Enter the activity type, value, unit, and source
4. Custom factors take priority over Dcycle’s default library

Traceability

For every calculation, Dcycle records:

• The emission factor used (value + source)
• The activity data that triggered the calculation
• The date of calculation
• The GHG Protocol scope assignment

You can view this breakdown by clicking on any emission value in your dashboard.