emission calculator

Emission calculator: How we collect data to measure your CO2 emissions

The Deedster emission calculator is an integrated part of the Deedster mobile app and other services. It is a tool for users to calculate their climate impact and test different choices by changing input data. We present the result in five categories: Food, Home, Commute, Travel, and other shopping. 

The Deedster Emission Calculator Drill Down

Users can drill down from these five categories to get more details and compare their overall results with national averages and Paris-aligned targets. The user’s input makes up their User Consumption Profile. The user can update the profile anytime and get an updated and re-calculated climate footprint.

The calculator considers carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and expresses the results in carbon dioxide equivalents, CO2e. The Consumption Profile is also used to determine what Deeds (climate actions) the service suggests to the user and the basis for the personalized CO2e-savings calculations. 

Over the years, we have continuously developed the calculation methodology with leading experts since 2017 and use underlying LCA data from renewed scientific sources. At the beginning of 2021, we had a major update released to an updated methodology, new underlying data, and adding more country-specific data. 

Per January 2023, the data sets now include unique data from 34 countries for the lifestyle calculator and 43 countries for the transaction-based footprint calculator. Another 204 countries and dependencies have specific flight data, regional data for energy, and a global data set. We are constantly adding more countries to the list.

How do we calculate your transaction-based emissions? 

To calculate the emissions of each transaction, we use a hybrid approach that combines transaction details, country-specific environmental impact data, national data from official government agencies, and any information the user provides in the app. 

It is quite a lot to keep track of, so let us walk you through it: 

Emission Calculation Deedster Retail Engine
Deedster Carbon Calculator Methodology

Deedster emission calculation first step:

First, we look at the transaction details, such as amount, transaction type, and category. Your bank classifies each transaction you make according to the merchant’s business activity, showing what kind of goods or services you have purchased. Through these categorizations, we can differentiate between, say, a purchase made at a clothing store and one made at a restaurant. 

Step two:

The next step in calculating the emissions is to map the transaction to its corresponding country-specific carbon intensity per euro (€), which is different for each subcategory. This monetary carbon intensity (in kg CO2e per €) is generated using a multi-regional environmentally extended input-output table (MR EEIOT). 

This dataset can estimate the environmental impact of consuming different goods and services at a country level. We cross-reference and verify the numbers with national data from official government agencies. 

Step three:

For specific subcategories of the transactions, we also apply additional smart functions that use current market pricing data to account for varying prices, e.g., fuel and electricity. 

To increase the accuracy and personalize the transactions’ footprints, we also look at the information you’ve provided in the lifestyle calculator since many of your lifestyle choices impact the emissions from your transactions. For instance, the emission calculator will show that a vegetarian meal at a restaurant has a lower footprint compared to a meat-based meal, even if they cost the same. 

Step four:

To account for this, we apply a factor to some transactions. For example, if your lifestyle footprint within food is low, your transactions will cause fewer emissions than those of a person with a high food-related footprint, even if the purchase amount is the same. 

In fact, if you answer all the lifestyle questions, including fine-tuning, we can get as many as 90 different data points that make the estimation of your footprint as accurate as possible. 

Step five:

We also look at your transaction patterns to find areas with more sustainable options that could be interesting. We use these patterns and locations to suggest even more relevant content for you and make the journey to a sustainable lifestyle more fun. 

Last step in the Deedster emission calculator:

Finally, when we have arrived at a number for the emissions of the transactions, we aggregate them into the five major categories (food, transport, shopping, housing, and wellness & leisure) that make up your total transaction-based footprint. Are you curious about how much CO2 you emit? Head over to our emission calculator and test yours for free.

Share this Post