Data sources and licences

Every figure in Carbon Recycling comes from a published dataset. Before we use one, we save a dated copy of its licence or terms of use, read it, and record what it lets us do. Each time we download a new edition we check the terms again and keep a record of the file we took. This page lists the sources in use today, the years we hold and how each one is used, then the sources we are still checking and the ones we have ruled out.

Jump to: in use, your own accounts data, being checked, ruled out. For how sites in other countries are reported, see sites outside the UK.

In use

UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting

Publisher: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Years we hold: 2002 to 2026, one set of factors for each reporting year
What we use it for: All UK Scope 1, 2 and 3 calculations, the SECR and CRP reports, and the /emission-factors pages.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service; Copy, adapt and republish the figures, including on public pages; Combine with other data
It doesn't let us: Suggest DESNZ or the government endorses us; Use government logos or the Royal Arms; Treat the figures as guaranteed (supplied as is, no warranty)
Credit: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Spend-based emissions multipliers (UK's carbon footprint)

Publisher: Defra and the University of Leeds
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Years we hold: 1997 to 2023 (the latest year Defra has published is used for more recent spend)
What we use it for: Spend-based Scope 3 estimates and the accounts import.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product; Republish and adapt the multipliers
It doesn't let us: Suggest Defra endorses us; Treat the figures as guaranteed
Credit: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Defra, UK's carbon footprint.
Terms last checked: 10 October 2026

UK CBAM default values and CBAM rates

Publisher: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and HM Treasury
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: The CBAM pack add-on (/app/cbam) and its product page: default emissions values by commodity code for 2027 and 2028, and the quarterly CBAM rates per sector (illustrative until HMRC publishes the official rate for a quarter).
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service; Copy, adapt and republish the default values and rates, including on public pages; Combine with the customer's own import records
It doesn't let us: Suggest HMRC, HM Treasury or the government endorses us; Use government logos or the Royal Arms; Present illustrative rates as the official rate for a quarter, or treat the figures as guaranteed (supplied as is, no warranty)
Credit: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: HMRC, Check the default values for the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM); HM Treasury and HMRC, Illustrative CBAM rates and worked example.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Carbon Intensity API (GB electricity, live and forecast)

Publisher: National Energy System Operator (NESO)
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Years we hold: Live, with a two-day forecast. Not stored or used in reports
What we use it for: The live grid widget on the app dashboard and the /app/grid page.
The licence lets us: Show the data inside our app as part of the service; Use anywhere in the world
It doesn't let us: Sell, lease or sublicense the API or access to it, so never price it as a separate add-on; Build something that substantially replaces NESO's own site, apps or API; Suggest NESO endorses us; Make so many calls that it strains their servers (they rate-limit)
Credit: Carbon intensity data from the National Energy System Operator's Carbon Intensity API (carbonintensity.org.uk), CC BY 4.0.
Terms last checked: 10 October 2026

Ember Yearly Electricity Data (grid intensity by country)

Publisher: Ember Energy Research CIC
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Years we hold: 2000 to 2025, for 193 countries
What we use it for: Electricity factors for sites outside the UK and the /emission-factors/electricity country pages.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product, including the £99 overseas country add-on; Republish and adapt with attribution
It doesn't let us: Remove or hide the attribution; Use Ember's name or trademark to suggest it endorses us; Add terms that stop others reusing what we republish from it
Credit: Contains data from Ember, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (ember-energy.org).
Terms last checked: 20 October 2026

EPA eGRID and GHG Emission Factors Hub (to the 2025 edition)

Publisher: US Environmental Protection Agency
Licence: US government work, public domain under 17 U.S.C. § 105
Years we hold: Data years 2021 to 2023, 27 power regions and the US average
What we use it for: Electricity factors for US sites by power region and the /emission-factors/us pages. Also the /emission-factors/us/fuels-and-travel pages: stationary fuels, steam, vehicles, business travel and freight from the 2023 to 2025 Hub editions.
The licence lets us: Use and republish EPA's own figures, including commercially
It doesn't let us: Use the EPA logo or suggest EPA endorses us; Reuse material EPA credits to a non-EPA source without checking that source's own terms
Credit: Source: US EPA, eGRID and GHG Emission Factors Hub. Not required by law, but we credit it.
Terms last checked: 10 October 2026

Canada National Inventory Report, Annex 7 electricity intensity tables

Publisher: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Licence: Open Government Licence - Canada 2.0
Years we hold: Data years 1990, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, Canada national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in Canada (national average) and the Canada country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent. Also the /emission-factors/canada pages: electricity generation and consumption intensity for every province and territory (Annex 7, Tables A7-1 to A7-14).
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product, including the £99 overseas country add-on; Copy, adapt and republish the figures with the attribution
It doesn't let us: Use the Government of Canada name, crest or logos, or suggest it endorses us; Present the figures as having official status in our product
Credit: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Inventory Report).
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Singapore Energy Market Authority grid emission factors (data.gov.sg)

Publisher: Energy Market Authority, Singapore
Licence: Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0
Years we hold: Data years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, Singapore national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor (average operating margin) for sites in Singapore and the Singapore country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent.
The licence lets us: Use commercially, including in the £99 overseas country add-on; Copy, modify and republish the figures with the attribution notice
It doesn't let us: Suggest official status or that the Singapore Government or EMA endorses us; Leave out the attribution notice and licence link
Credit: Contains information from Electricity Grid Emission Factors and Upstream Fugitive Methane Emission Factor accessed on 19 October 2026 from data.gov.sg, which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence).
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

ADEME Base Carbone (data.ademe.fr open copy), electricity

Publisher: ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique), France
Licence: Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Years we hold: Data years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, France national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in France (Base Carbone average mix, combustion at the power station) and the France country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent.
The licence lets us: Reuse commercially, including in the £99 overseas country add-on; Adapt, extract and republish with the source and its last update date
It doesn't let us: Suggest ADEME or any French public body endorses us or that our use is official; Mislead about the content, source or update date; Use the new Base Empreinte data, which is restricted to users in France
Credit: Source: ADEME, Base Carbone® V23.6 (data.ademe.fr, last updated 3 July 2025), Licence Ouverte 2.0.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors (2022 to 2026 editions)

Publisher: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Australia
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Years we hold: Data years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, Australia national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in Australia (national Scope 2 location-based figure) and the Australia country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent. Also the /emission-factors/australia pages: Scope 2 and 3 electricity by state and territory, the residual mix, and natural gas, diesel, petrol and LPG factors from the 2022 to 2026 editions.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product, including the £99 overseas country add-on; Republish and adapt with attribution
It doesn't let us: Use the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, DCCEEW logos or branding; Suggest the Australian Government endorses us; Remove or hide the attribution
Credit: DCCEEW 2026, Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra, August. CC BY 4.0. (Earlier editions credited the same way with their own year.)
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Emission Factors Hub 2026 (eGRID2024 electricity, AR6 GWPs)

Publisher: Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Years we hold: Data year 2024
What we use it for: The 2026 US electricity rates in the same data file as EPA's. Also the 2026 figures on the /emission-factors/us/fuels-and-travel pages (fuels, steam, vehicles, business travel, freight).
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product; Republish and adapt with attribution
It doesn't let us: Remove the attribution; Suggest Cornerstone or EPA endorses us
Credit: Emission Factors Hub 2026, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative, CC BY 4.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.20403776).
Terms last checked: 10 October 2026

Fuel mix disclosure data table (UK residual fuel mix)

Publisher: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Years we hold: From 2025 (the latest table is used until DESNZ publishes the next; earlier years use the grid factor)
What we use it for: Market-based Scope 2 for UK electricity when the customer gives no supplier factor and no REGO-backed tariff.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product; Republish and adapt the figures
It doesn't let us: Suggest DESNZ endorses us; Treat the figures as guaranteed
Credit: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DESNZ, Fuel mix disclosure data table.
Terms last checked: 18 October 2026

Umweltbundesamt: specific greenhouse gas emissions of the German electricity mix 1990 to 2025 (Climate Change 16/2026)

Publisher: Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Germany
Licence: Umweltbundesamt data terms: data use permitted under § 12a EGovG, with UBA named as the source
Years we hold: Data years 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, Germany national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in Germany (greenhouse gases per kWh consumed, without upstream chain) and the Germany country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent.
The licence lets us: Use the published figures (data) commercially, including in the £99 overseas country add-on; Combine them with other data and build them into our product, naming the Umweltbundesamt as the source and saying we converted the units
It doesn't let us: Copy the report's text, charts or layout (UBA texts are CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and the PDF itself is all rights reserved); we take only the numbers; Leave out the Umweltbundesamt source line, or present changed figures without saying they were changed
Credit: Quelle: Umweltbundesamt, Climate Change 16/2026, Entwicklung der spezifischen Treibhausgas-Emissionen des deutschen Strommix in den Jahren 1990 - 2025 (Tabelle 2). Figures converted from g to kg per kWh by Carbon Recycling.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Ministry of Ecology and Environment and National Bureau of Statistics: national electricity CO2 emission factors 2021 to 2023

Publisher: Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and National Bureau of Statistics, China
Licence: Official government notice, outside copyright under Article 5 of the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China
Years we hold: Data years 2021, 2022, 2023, China national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in China (national average CO2 per kWh generated) and the China country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent.
The licence lets us: Quote the national factors and use them in calculations, including in the £99 overseas country add-on: they are published in official administrative notices, which Article 5 of China's Copyright Law puts outside copyright; Name the announcements as the source
It doesn't let us: Reprint the MEE website's own pages commercially in their original form (its site statement forbids this); we take only the figures; Distort or alter the published figures, or suggest the MEE endorses us
Credit: Source: Ministry of Ecology and Environment and National Bureau of Statistics of China, announcements 2024 No. 12, 2024 No. 33 and 2025 No. 47 (national average electricity CO2 emission factor).
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Ministry for the Environment (New Zealand): Measuring emissions, 2026 emission factors v2 (long-format CSV), purchased electricity

Publisher: Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand (now part of the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport)
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Years we hold: Data years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, New Zealand national average
What we use it for: Official electricity factor for sites in New Zealand (annual average greenhouse gases per kWh of electricity used) and the New Zealand country page, in place of Ember where it is as recent. Also the /emission-factors/new-zealand pages: electricity, fuels, flights, taxis, public transport, road freight, waste, water and homeworking from the same 2026 v2 file. Rows marked as third-party data (hotel stays, and any row whose assumptions credit another organisation) are not used.
The licence lets us: Copy, distribute and adapt the factors commercially, including in the £99 overseas country add-on, with attribution to the Ministry for the Environment; Republish the figures on our public country pages
It doesn't let us: Use the Ministry's logos, emblems, trade marks, site design, photos or images; Use any material marked as third-party copyright; Suggest the Ministry endorses us
Credit: Ministry for the Environment. 2026. Measuring emissions: A guide for organisations: 2026 emission factors (version 2). Crown copyright, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Postcodes.io (postcode to location lookup, Great Britain postcodes only)

Publisher: Ideal Postcodes (service), serving ONS Postcode Directory, Ordnance Survey and National Records of Scotland data
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: turns a UK site's postcode into a grid reference, country and council area at the moment a check is run. Nothing is stored except the result for that site.
The licence lets us: Look up Great Britain postcodes (England, Scotland, Wales) and use the result in a paid product: GB postcode data is under the OS OpenData licence (the Open Government Licence); Show the location, country and council area we derive from it to the customer
It doesn't let us: Look up Northern Ireland postcodes (starting BT) for a commercial purpose: that data needs a licence from NI Land & Property Services, so the app never sends BT postcodes to postcodes.io and works out Northern Ireland from the postcode prefix alone; Resell or bulk-copy the postcode database, or hammer the free public service (look up in batches, cache results); Suggest Ideal Postcodes, ONS, Ordnance Survey or Royal Mail endorse us
Credit: Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Contains NRS data © Crown copyright and database right. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Environment Agency real-time flood-monitoring API (flood warning and alert areas, current warnings)

Publisher: Environment Agency
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: the flood warning and alert areas within 1 km of an English site, and any warning in force when the check is run.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service (Open Government Licence, no registration); Show the flood area names and descriptions to customers, and keep a copy of the result
It doesn't let us: Suggest the Environment Agency endorses us; Present a cached result as a live flood warning: the app always says when the check was run and points to GOV.UK for live warnings; Treat the data as guaranteed (supplied as is, beta service)
Credit: This uses Environment Agency flood and river level data from the real-time data API (Beta).
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea, and from Surface Water (NaFRA2), present day and climate change, via the Defra WMS

Publisher: Environment Agency
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: the long-term flood risk band (High, Medium, Low, Very Low) at an English site's postcode, today and with the 2050s climate change allowance.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service; Query the published WMS for a point and show the risk band to customers; Combine with other data
It doesn't let us: Present it as a property-level assessment: the Environment Agency says the data shows risk to an area of land, not to an individual building; Suggest the Environment Agency endorses us; Treat the data as guaranteed (supplied as is, no warranty)
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

SEPA Flood Maps (river, coastal, and surface water and small watercourses; present day and future), open map service

Publisher: Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: the flood likelihood (High, Medium, Low) at a Scottish site's postcode, and the future medium-likelihood flood maps.
The licence lets us: Use the products from SEPA's Open map service in a paid product, under the Open Government Licence; Query the service for a point and show the result to customers
It doesn't let us: Use SEPA's view-only Flood Risk Management Maps viewer services, which have their own terms: only the Open/Flood_Maps service is used; Present it as a property-level assessment; Suggest SEPA endorses us
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Natural Resources Wales Flood Risk Assessment Wales (rivers, sea, surface water and small watercourses) and flood warning areas, via DataMapWales

Publisher: Natural Resources Wales
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: the flood risk band (High, Medium, Low) at a Welsh site's postcode, and the NRW flood warning areas that cover it.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service, under the Open Government Licence; Query the published WMS for a point and show the risk band to customers
It doesn't let us: Use it for planning decisions or flood consequence assessments (NRW says the map has no planning status); Present it as a property-level assessment; Suggest NRW endorses us
Credit: Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Body for Wales and database right. All rights reserved. Flood flow estimates are based upon FEH methodology and data, © and database right UKCEH 2015. Contains Ordnance Survey data, Crown copyright and database right. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Met Office Climate Data Portal: UKCP18 local authority projections at global warming levels (hot summer days, tropical nights, summer maximum temperature, summer and winter rainfall)

Publisher: Met Office
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
What we use it for: Climate risk add-on: heat, drought and wet-winter projections for each site's council area at 2°C and 4°C of global warming.
The licence lets us: Use in a paid product and charge for the service; Copy, summarise and republish the figures, including in customers' printed summaries; Combine with other data
It doesn't let us: Suggest the Met Office endorses us; Use the Met Office logo; Treat the projections as forecasts or as guaranteed (supplied as is, no warranty)
Credit: Contains Met Office data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS and ONS data © Crown copyright and database right. Source: Met Office Climate Data Portal, UKCP18 local authority projections.
Terms last checked: 19 October 2026

Your own accounts data

When you connect Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or FreeAgent, we read your own transactions to build spend-based entries for you. That data is yours: it is used to work out your figures, and we don't sell it. See our privacy notice for the detail.

Sources we are checking

These are official or open datasets we would like to use, mostly national factors for other countries. None is used until we have saved and read its licence. Until then, sites in those countries use the sources above.

India CEA CO2 Baseline Database: terms of use not yet found
Japan MoE supplier emission factors: expected licence Public Data License 1.0 (env.go.jp)
Companies House API: expected licence OGL v3.0
IPCC Emission Factor Database: terms of use not yet found
AIB European Residual Mix: terms of use not yet found
European Environment Agency electricity intensity: expected licence Usually reuse with credit
Open CEDA (spend-based factors, 148 countries, 400 industries): expected licence CC BY-SA 4.0, attribution 'CEDA by Watershed' (openceda.org, checked 10 Oct 2026)
EPA Supply Chain GHG Emission Factors v1.3 (USEEIO, 1,016 US commodities, per USD): expected licence US public domain (EPA Science Hub licence, checked 10 Oct 2026)
GLORIA multi-regional input-output (164 countries): expected licence Commercial use through FootprintLab (exclusive distributor)

Sources we don't use

These came up in our research. We don't use them because of their licence or cost.

ADEME Base Empreinte: ADEME's own terms
EXIOBASE 3 multi-regional input-output (spend factors for every country): v3.8.x and earlier: CC BY-SA 4.0 (share-alike). v3.9 and later: customised CC BY-NC-SA that excludes any use by for-profit entities.
IEA emission factors: Paid licence
ecoinvent: Paid licence
Climatiq API: Paid licence
Eskom grid emission factor (South Africa): Company copyright (Eskom Holdings), no open licence
SEAI conversion and emission factors (Ireland), GHG_elec sheet (electricity 2001 to 2025): SEAI website terms: personal use only, prior written permission needed

How each figure is used is explained on the methodology page, and the sources for sites outside the UK are in section 14 of our terms. Nothing here suggests any publisher endorses Carbon Recycling.