Scope 3 Carbon Accounting: Robustness Through Source Transparency
Source by source, how the Carbon Decision AI calculation engine ensures the reliability of your Scope 3 data.
At Carbon Decision AI, we believe that trustworthy AI relies on deterministic, transparent rules. For Scope 3 emissions, our engine never hallucinates: it applies strict, robust logic tailored to each data source. Here is how our AI ensures the reliability of your climate reporting, source by source.
✈️ International Flights (international_flights) — Simple & Robust
Rule: Direct
Formula: CO2 = quantity (km) × 0.195 kgCO2e/km
Why it's robust: the AI uses a reliable, fixed IPCC factor (mixed cabin average), removing unnecessary complexity regarding airlines or seating classes. Given the high inherent uncertainty of flight emissions, this standardization guarantees consistent and auditable data.
☁️ Cloud Services (cloud_services) — Contextual & Precise
Rule: Cloud
Formula: CO2 = quantity (EUR) × CloudEmissionFactor[countryCode]
Why it's robust: our AI maps the footprint across 16 major cloud data centers (AWS, Azure, GCP, OVH, Exoscale). It instantly adapts to local grid intensities (e.g., Ireland = 0.031, Switzerland = 0.012). If a partner's country code is missing, the AI safely returns 0 to prevent any groundless guessing.
🚚 Freight & Logistics (freight_logistics) — Highly Sophisticated
Rule: Freight
Formula: CO2 = (qty × weight kg/unit / 1000) × distance km (Haversine) × FreightEmissionFactor[transportMode]
Why it's robust: our most advanced module. The AI automatically computes Haversine distances using a reference database of about fifty global cities and capitals, matching them with 13 distinct transport modes (truck, train, ship, air, courier...). If a city or transport mode is missing, it safely defaults to 0 to maintain data integrity.
🏭 External Manufacturing & Packaging (manufacturing_process_external + packaging_materials) — Grid-Aware
Rule: Product
Formula: CO2 = qty × energyKwh/unit × GridEmissionFactor[countryCode]
Why it's robust: the AI cross-references manufacturing energy requirements from the ADEME carbon database (1,008 product groups) with the national electricity grid factors of 61 countries. No guesswork: if data is incomplete, it returns 0 rather than estimating blindly.
🧱 Manufacturing Materials (manufacturing_process_material) — Simple & Stable
Rule: Material
Formula: CO2 = qty × co2PerUnit (ADEME)
Why it's robust: free from partner or country-specific dependencies, the AI looks straight at the intrinsic carbon value of the material (e.g., steel = 2.0 kgCO2e/kg). It is an ultra-stable, unshakeable calculation as long as the product ID is provided.
🗑️ External Industrial Waste (industrial_waste_external) — Baseline Standard
Rule: Direct
Formula: CO2 = quantity (kg) × 0.9 kgCO2e/kg
Why it's robust: a dependable, conservative flat rate for industrial waste treatment. This provides a solid baseline for compliance, while paving the way for future granular upgrades (such as incineration vs. recycling tracking).