The Use of Sold Products emissions category refers to the emissions associated with the usage and consumption of your products after they have been sold to consumers or business customers.
There are six calculation methods currently available:
Fuel consumption method can be used to calculate emissions released from electric products you have sold or from vehicles outside of your company’s reporting boundary but related to the company service. You will need data on fuel consumption and the fuel type used by the electric products or vehicles.
Average fuel consumption | Distance driven method to calculate emissions released from vehicles outside of your company’s reporting boundary but related to the company service. You will need data on the average fuel consumption of these vehicles, as well as data on the fuel type and distance driven during the data period.
Fashion: Use of sold products method calculates the indirect emissions generated during the care of sold fashion products. These emissions result from activities such as washing, drying, dry cleaning, and ironing. You will need data on the mass of the sold product, the quantity sold, the product type, and the related care phases.
Software method enables you to calculate emissions related to the use of sold software, using data on the usage time or data volume the software uses during the reporting period. You will also need to categorise the type of component and device the software operates on.
Bring Your Own Emissions (BYOE) allows you to upload your own pre-calculated emissions to the Plan A platform
Bring Your Own Emission Factors (BYOEF) allows you to upload your own emission factors with your activity to calculate emissions. It is your responsibility to ensure the emission factors align with your reporting needs.
Check out our step-by-step guides that walk you through how to format your data for each calculation method:
Step-by-step: Format Fuel consumption data
Step-by-step: Format Fuel consumption data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if entering data for just one day.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
The country where the vehicle was in operation.
Enter as ISO-3166 alpha-2 code.
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility to which the respective emissions should be allocated.
Ensure to use the exact names as used in all other templates requiring "facility_name".
This field is mandatory.
Column E: value
Fuel consumption: The amount of fuel or energy that was consumed in the given time period.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column F: value.unit
The measurement unit of the fuel type.
For petrol or diesel:
l (litres)
m3 (cubic meters)
gal (gallons)
bbl (barrels)
For electric vehicles:
kWh (kilowatt-hours)
MWh (megawatt-hours)
GJ (gigajoules)
toe (tonne of oil equivalent)
This field is mandatory.
Column E: fuel_type
Choose from:
petrol
diesel
electricity
This field is mandatory.
Step-by-step: Format Average fuel consumption | Distance driven data
Step-by-step: Format Average fuel consumption | Distance driven data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if entering data for just one day.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
The country where the vehicle was in operation.
Enter as ISO-3166 alpha-2 code.
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility to which the respective emissions should be allocated.
Ensure to use the exact names as used in all other templates requiring "facility_name".
This field is mandatory.
Column E: value
The distance driven for the indicated timeframe and fuel type.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column F: value.unit
Select the unit of distance driven. Choose from:
mi (miles)
km (kilometres)
This field is mandatory.
Column G: fuel_type
Choose from:
petrol
diesel
electricity
This field is mandatory
Column H: vehicle_efficiency
The average fuel consumption for the indicated timeframe and fuel type.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column I: vehicle_efficiency.unit
Select the measurement unit for vehicle efficiency.
For petrol and diesel vehicles:
l/100km (litres per 100km)
mpg (miles per US gallon)
km/l (kilometres per litre)
For electric vehicles:
kWh/100km (kilowatt-hour per 100km)
mi/kWh (miles per kilowatt-hour)
km/GJ (kilometres per Gigajoule)
This field is mandatory.
Step-by-step: Format Fashion data
Step-by-step: Format Fashion data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if entering data for just one day.
Suggested date format: YYYY-MM-DD. Refer to the Accepted Formats article for a full list of acceptable formats.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
The ISO-3166 alpha-2 code of the country where the finished product or finished material was sold. (e.g., DE). You can find the codes here.
The country code must remain consistent for all data points associated with that SKU's sales in a given country.
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility to which the respective emissions should be allocated.
Ensure to use the exact names as used in all other templates requiring "facility_name".
This field is mandatory.
Column E: value
The weight of the sold product.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
The weight must be the same for all rows that correspond to the same SKU.
This field is mandatory.
Column F: value.unit
Select the measurement unit used.
kg (kilogram)
t (metric tonne)
ton (short ton)
lb (pound)
The unit must be the same for all rows that correspond to the same SKU.
This field is mandatory.
Column G: quantity
The quantity of goods sold per SKU.
The quantity must be the same for all rows that correspond to the same SKU.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column H: sku
The SKU of the product.
You can list the same SKU across multiple rows if the SKU has multiple care types.
This field is mandatory.
Column I: product_type
The type of product sold.
Choose an accepted product type from the list of accepted product types.
This field is mandatory.
Column J: care_phase
The methods of washing, drying, and care recommended for the chosen product type.
Choose from:
Handwash
20 deg machine wash
30 deg machine wash
40 deg machine wash
50 deg machine wash
60 deg machine wash
70 deg machine wash
80 deg machine wash
90 deg machine wash
Machine dry
Low temp iron
Medium temp iron
Dry clean
This field is mandatory.
Step-by-step: Format Software data
Step-by-step: Format Software data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if you are entering data for just one day.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
If you are inputting data related to Cloud - AWS, Cloud - Azure, or Cloud - GCP, please select the ISO-2 code where your server is located. See the full location list here.
If you are inputting data related to Cloud - Other provider or Device, please select the ISO country code where the software component is located. See the full location list here.
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility that the respective emissions should be allocated to.
Make sure to apply exactly the same names you set here to all the other templates asking for a "facility_name" input.
Column E: value
The run time or data volume the software used during the reporting period.
This field is mandatory.
Column F: value.unit
The measurement unit used. Choose from:
'Data volume' unit types:
TB (terabyte)
GB (gigabyte)
MB (megabyte)
KB (kilobyte)
'Usage time' unit types:
hr (hours)
min (minutes)
s (seconds)
This field is mandatory.
Column G: usage_type
The type of usage inputted in the value column.
Choose from:
usage time
data volume
This field is mandatory.
Column H: component
Select the component where the software is housed.
For cloud-based software, choose from:
Cloud - AWS
Cloud - Azure
Cloud - GCP
Cloud - Other provider
For software housed on an end-user device (e.g., laptop, phone, or tablet), choose:
Device
This field is mandatory.
Column I: application
Select the device where the software is applied by the end-user.
Check out the full list of devices here.
If the software runs on multiple devices, list each device on a new line.
If the application requires a connection to a data centre to operate, select the appropriate 'Cloud' component in Column G and the corresponding 'Data Centre' in Column H. In this case, emissions from the data transmission network will be calculated automatically based on the data centre's location.
This field is mandatory.
Column J: lifetime
The expected lifetime of the software.
If the software is a one-time sale to the end-user, enter the expected lifetime in years for the sold software.
If you sell software licenses yearly, enter 1 here.
The number is used to spread the emissions from the reporting period over multiple years, based on the expected lifetime.
This field is mandatory.
Column K: product_category
The product category of the software.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column L: product_subcategory
The product subcategory of the software.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column M: product_name
The name of the software.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column N: product_id
The product ID of the software.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Step-by-step: Format BYOE data
Step-by-step: Format BYOE data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if you are entering data for just one day.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
The ISO-3166 alpha-2 code of the country where the sale occurred (e.g., DE).
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility that the respective emissions should be allocated to.
Make sure to apply exactly the same names you set here to all the other templates asking for a "facility_name" input.
Column E: value
Your own emissions in kg CO₂e.
Numbers should be formatted using numeric values only and using a dot as the decimal separator (e.g. 25634.20).
This field is mandatory.
Optional tags
As always, you can add optional columns for company specific tags.
Learn more about how tags work: Tag Your Data.
Reminder: It is not Plan A’s responsibility to ensure the calculation of those 3rd parties are in accordance with the GHG Protocol. There is no verification or validation of BOYE emissions through Plan A.
Step-by-step: Format BYOEF data
Step-by-step: Format BYOEF data
There are several ways to enter your data. Regardless of which method you choose, you must include all required information to ensure accurate emissions calculations. Below, we’ve listed the key data points you need to include. The column order doesn't matter as long as all required data is included.
Column A: start_date
The first day of your data period.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column B: end_date
The last day of your data period. It can be the same as the start date if you are entering data for just one day.
The suggested date format is YYYY-MM-DD, but check the Accepted Formats article to see a full list of formats you can use.
This field is mandatory.
Column C: location
The ISO-3166 alpha-2 code of the country associated with these emissions (e.g., DE).
This field is mandatory.
Column D: facility_name
The facility that the respective emissions should be allocated to.
Make sure to apply exactly the same names you set here to all the other templates asking for a "facility_name" input.
Column E: value
This field is for the data associated with the sold product, such as weight, volume, or any other metric relevant to your emission factor.
Enter data for a single unit of a purchased product or service.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column F: value.unit
The measurement unit for your activity data. Choose from:
Mass: kg, t, ton, lb
Volume: l, m³, gal, bbl
Distance: km, mi
Surface: m², ft²
Generic: quantity
The unit must belong to the same unit family as the data in the 'emission_factor.unit' column.
This field is mandatory.
Column G: emission_factor.unit
The measurement unit of the emission factor. Choose from:
Mass: kgCO2e/kg, kgCO2e/t, kgCO2e/ton, kgCO2e/lb
Volume: kgCO2e/l, kgCO2e/m³, kgCO2e/gal, kgCO2e/bbl
Distance: kgCO2e/km, kgCO2e/mi
Surface: kgCO2e/m², kgCO2e/ft²
Generic: kgCO2e/quantity
This field is mandatory.
Column H: emission_factor
The emission factor you want to apply to your activity data in kgCO2e.
Ensure the emission factor is per unit of the product to guarantee accurate calculations.
Please note it is your responsibility to ensure the emission factors align with your reporting needs.
This field is mandatory.
Column I: quantity
As the 'value' column represents a single unit of a sold product, specify the corresponding quantity here.
Format: Numbers using periods as decimal separators.
This field is mandatory.
Column J: product_category
If you use product categorisation, you can optionally enter the product category in this field.
This is recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column K: product_subcategory
If you use product categorisation, you can optionally enter product subcategories in this field.
This is recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column L: product_name
The name of the sold product.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column M: product_reference
The product reference of the sold product.
This field is optional but recommended to give you deeper insights into your emissions.
Column N: source_file_name
The source file from which your activity data or emission factor was derived from.
This is recommended as emission factor sources may be requested from auditors.
