This two-pager summarizes the methodology used for the KBC Ecoscan tool which was released by Ecochain in 2021. It is the objective of this document to disclose more about the why, what and how of this tool.
It is the objective of the KBC Ecoscan tool to provide an insight in the carbon footprint related to the energy use of your organization and to present possibilities for improvement. The KBC Ecoscan provides a preliminary view over the most important climate impacts with the objective to trigger a call to action to further reduce your carbon footprint.
We encourage companies to use the tool to get an initial impression of their carbon footprint. The KBC Ecoscan tool cannot be used for environmental reporting or to make external environmental claims. If companies want to get a more accurate result, specifically for their situation, then we encourage companies to contact us for more information.
What – scope of the footprint
As stated in the section above, the footprint calculated in the KBC Ecoscan tool is only covering energy use. Below we provide the reader with an overview of the categories included and excluded.
| Scope | Included in the Ecoscan tool | Not included in the Ecoscan tool |
| Scope 1 – direct emissions | Direct emissions from fuel combustion for heating, cooling, power generators, equipment, own vehicles fueled onsite | Other direct emissions e.g. from your own fleet, from production processes, from leakage of cooling fluids. |
| Scope 2 – emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat and cooling | All scope 2 categories are in scope of KBC Ecoscan | n/a |
| Scope 3 – indirect environmental impacts in the value chain | Up- and downstream emissions in the value chain are not included in the KBC Ecoscan tool |
The sources for the above described emissions can be found in the table below.
| Scope | Source |
| Scope 1 | Fuels: Greenhouse gas reporting – conversion factors 2020, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 2020. |
| Scope 2 | Electricity mixes: European Residual Mixes 2019, Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), 2020. Renewable Electricity: Ecoinvent version 3.5, 2018. City heating: Directe en indirecte CO2-emissies van warmtetechnieken, CE Delft, 2016. |
| Scope 3, % per industry | Categorization of Scope 3 Emissions for Streamlined Carbon Footprinting, Y. Anny Huang, Christopher L. Weber, and H. Scott Matthews, Environmental Science & Technology 2009 43 (22). |
| Carbon Intensity | Exiobase version 3.4. Stadler K, R. Wood, T. Bulavskaya, C.J. Sodersten, M. Simas, S. Schmidt, A. Usubiaga, J. Acosta-Fernandez, J. Kuenen, M. Bruckner, S. Giljum, S. Lutter, S. Merciai, J.H. Schmidt, M.C. Theurl, C. Plutzar, T. Kastner, M. Eisenmenger, K. Erb, A. de Koning, A. Tukker (2018) EXIOBASE 3: Developing a Time Series of Detailed Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output Tables, Journal of Industrial Ecology 22(3)502-515. |
Further information
Ecochain Technologies B.V.
H.J.E. Wenckebachweg 123
1096 AM Amsterdam
Netherlands