Frequently asked questions

To measure carbon footprint, you need to calculate the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted by the entity in question.

1. First collect data on your activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Then calculate emissions using emission factors or other established methods to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by each activity.
3. And lastly convert the emissions of other greenhouse gases to their CO2 equivalents.

With Biocode, the calculation is fairly easy as the emission factors and the converting part is build into the tool. Users only need to enter the data from their own processes.

The different life cycles used in Biocode are: raw materials, sourcing, production, and packaging. This approach is referred to as “cradle-to-gate,” and it specifically evaluates stages up to the point where the product leaves the factory, providing insights into production-related impacts. The usage and disposal phases can be assessed separately.

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) states that “The cut-off criterion to be applied in PEF studies is that modelled flows must account for at least 90% of the overall contributions to each of the environmental impact categories considered.” Therefore it is possible to leave something (max 10%) out from the LCA of the product. However, LCA needs to present the most relevant things in the product.

Calculating energy usage in such cases can be challenging, but it’s important to remember that life cycle assessment is called an “assessment” for a reason. Sometimes, you may need to make your best estimate and make adjustments later if necessary. One way to roughly estimate product-specific energy consumption is by considering factors such as the mass ratio of the products or the time spent in production.

Biocode’s calculation method is built upon two key standards from the ISO 14000 series. ISO 14067 serves as the international standard for calculating product-specific carbon footprints, while ISO 14040 is the international standard for conducting life cycle assessments. These standards offer general guidance on calculating carbon footprints and conducting life cycle assessments.

Furthermore, the life cycle assessment generated using the Biocode calculator aligns with the PEF and IPCC guidelines, as well as the standards from international GHG protocol, which dictate how companies should calculate and report their emissions.

For more detailed explanations, please visit the principle page.

The Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG) is guidance developed under the GHG Protocol. The updated LSRG introduces new requirements for corporate emissions accounting in the food industry from 2027 onwards. It defines specific boundaries for data collection and modelling methodologies for emission factors.

Please note: The standard enters into effect on 1 January 2027, but the first calculation in accordance with the standard will cover the year 2027 and therefore needs to be completed in spring 2028. However, companies with SBTi FLAG targets will need to apply the methodology already in spring 2027 when calculating their 2026 emissions.

LSRG (Version 1) provides more detailed requirements for assessing the climate impacts of agricultural products. In addition to fossil and biogenic greenhouse gas emissions, companies will need to account for:

• Land emissions, including land-use change and land management
• The amount of pressure a company’s activities place on land use (land occupation)
• Land emissions reported under Scope 1 and Scope 3

The new guidance does not currently apply to the activities and products of companies in the forestry sector. However, Biocode’s calculator calculates land emissions from forestry products, such as packaging materials, based on previous guidance.

Most likely, if your company has not previously included land emissions in its GHG inventory, or if they have only been partially accounted for.

The results may change particularly for companies that use large quantities of agricultural raw materials, as land emissions often account for a significant share of their total emissions.

In this case, the change does not mean that the company’s operations or actual emissions have changed. Instead, it reflects a more comprehensive and accurate calculation methodology.

Biocode provides a comprehensive calculator aligned with the LSR standard. The calculator provides detailed land emissions data for different countries and activities relevant to companies in the food industry. This data is combined with Climatiq’s extensive database, enabling even more accurate calculations.

All of this is available in one place and is included in the Biocode licence. Completed calculations can be exported directly from the system as a PDF and shared with stakeholders.

In addition to the calculator, companies can order a separate Land Occupation Report from Biocode, describing the company’s land-use pressure. Currently, this is provided as a separate report, but it will be integrated into the calculator in the future. Land occupation is one of the metrics required by the LSR standard to be reported outside the GHG inventory.

Agricultural leakage occurs when a company’s activities reduce or displace food or feed production, requiring that production to be compensated for elsewhere outside the company’s own operations or value chain. This can lead to additional land use and, in the worst case, the conversion of natural land into agricultural land, resulting in additional land-use and carbon emissions.

Under the LSR standard, activities with a high leakage risk include in particular:

• Using agricultural products for purposes other than food or feed
• A significant long-term reduction in food production resulting from changes in land use or land management
• A significant long-term reduction in crop yields per hectare resulting from changes in agricultural practices

Land carbon leakage can be assessed using the carbon opportunity cost principle. This involves comparing two alternative land uses – for example, forest versus cropland – and calculating the climate benefit lost as a result of agricultural activity.

The LSR standard introduces changes to the calculation and reporting of emissions related to companies’ bioenergy and biofuels. In practice, this means that, for example, emissions from biofuels made from plant- or animal-based oils, or emissions resulting from the decomposition of biomaterials, are reported under land-use emissions as a separate category (Biogenic product emissions) or, in some cases, outside the inventory under other reportable metrics (Additional accounting categories).

Note! Bioenergy emissions are currently not included in SBTi FLAG emissions. Therefore, companies that have set FLAG targets and calculate FLAG emissions in accordance with SBTi guidance should include bioenergy-related emissions under industrial (biogenic) emissions.

Land-use change emissions must be calculated at a level determined by product traceability and the availability of the most accurate data.

By default, Biocode’s calculator assumes that products in the value chain (Scope 3) are traceable to their country of origin and applies the statistical land-use change (sLUC) calculation method.

Land-use change and related emissions associated with a company’s own operations (Scope 1) should be calculated using direct land-use change (dLUC) methodologies. This requires defined geographical boundaries for production areas as well as regularly updated – preferably annual – land-cover data for those areas.

Land-cover data can be used to identify potential land-use changes. In addition, data is required to estimate changes in carbon stocks in the area. This may be based, for example, on national greenhouse gas inventories, remote sensing data or other modelling approaches.

For the most part, no. Companies will continue to collect product quantities, countries of origin and other relevant information for their inventories as before.

However, some agricultural and forestry-based raw materials will require additional information, such as yield and area data, in order to assess land use in accordance with the LSR standard. These data are required for reporting rather than emissions calculations.

The new standard also introduces Land Occupation as a reporting category. Companies can commission Biocode to carry out a separate project to determine raw-material-specific land area data.

The LSR guidance provides more detailed requirements for calculating and reporting land emissions. In particular, the new reporting categories related to land use include:

• Land carbon leakage
• Biogenic product emissions and biogenic product CO2 emissions
• Land use and land-use pressure (Land use → Land occupation)

Under the new guidance, the origin and traceability of products determine the boundaries of the inventory and which calculation methodologies can be applied.

Calculations can also be carried out using default values. If more detailed input data is unavailable, approved background data and default values can be used.

However, more accurate and specific data improves the reliability of the calculations and reduces uncertainty.

The company’s emissions are divided into three different categories, known as ‘scopes.’

1️⃣ Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from the company’s own operations. For example, energy production, internal transportation, and manufacturing processes.

2️⃣ Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the company’s own operations. For example, heat, electricity, steam, or cooling.

3️⃣ Scope 3 emissions arise in the company’s supply chains. These indirect emissions can occur, for example, in the procurement of raw materials, the manufacturing of products, their use and disposal, or in consumer use.

In the emissions accounting webinar, we discussed in detail what the company needs to consider in GHG emissions calculation.

The company’s carbon footprint is essentially the negative climate impact caused by its own operations, which includes not only carbon dioxide but also six other greenhouse gases, each with different factors. Their combined warming effect on the climate is referred to as the carbon footprint, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent units.

The easiest way to start calculating your company’s carbon footprint is to use Biocode’s emissions calculator. Watch the video to see how conveniently the calculation can be done in Biocode.

Our Carbon Footprint Calculation Guide will also help you get started!

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) gradually imposes new calculation and reporting requirements on companies. Sustainability reporting, formerly known as responsible reporting, is divided into the following areas: Good Governance, Environmental Responsibility, and Social Responsibility.

Environmental Responsibility encompasses the calculation and reporting of emissions from both company operations and the value chain (Scope 1, 2, and 3), water usage, prevention of impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as the quantity and treatment of waste and byproducts.

Currently, Biocode allows for the calculation and reporting of emissions, and there are also plans in the product roadmap to incorporate other environmental impact calculation features.

Scope 1 emissions sources include, for example, a company’s energy production, internal transportation, and emissions generated in the manufacturing process.

Scope 2 emissions sources encompass heating, purchased electricity, steam, or cooling.

Scope 3 emissions are generated within a company’s value chains and can include emissions related to business travel, investments, raw material procurement, product manufacturing, usage, or disposal. Calculating these emissions accurately is the most challenging.

In the food industry, the majority of value chain emissions typically occur in the primary production stage. Therefore, Biocode’s carbon footprint calculation for primary production is an excellent way to track these emissions.

Carbon neutrality refers to the state where the activities of a particular entity do not increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to the PAS2060 standard, this includes a company’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. So, if a company manages to eliminate emissions from its own operations, it can be called carbon-neutral.

Net zero is a broader concept than carbon neutrality because it also takes into account emissions from the entire value chain, including Scope 3 emissions. This definition has been established by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi). This initiative also specifies that science-based net zero goals must align with the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Biocode calculator incorporates both emission factors and the conversion of all greenhouse gases into carbon dioxide equivalents. We closely monitor the regulations, protocols, and standards to ensure that the calculator is always based on the latest information. The primary guidelines guiding the calculator are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which you can explore further on the calculation principles page.

Your username is your email address. If it doesn’t work, please reach out to us at contact@biocode.io via email.

You can reset your password on the login page by clicking on “Request a password change email.” If you don’t receive the email, please check your junk mail folder. If you still can’t find it, send an email to contact@biocode.io, and we will assist you further.

Yes, you can. However, you should know the approximate inputs, especially for the raw materials. Energy consumption and packaging can be based on similar previous assessments.

Yes, you can copy your assessments. You can either copy the full assessment or only import the answers of filled forms to a new form.

Our specialist always get you started with the calculations. Biocode’s LCA specialist verify the calculations that will be used publicly. If you want to have more products verified than is included in your plan, please contact our sales.

Farmers and producers can create Biocode account and use it for free. Everyone else can create Biocode free trial account! The trial period for food products’ calculator and company’s scope emission calculator is two weeks, and after that you can upgrade to paid plan.

The paid licence is valid for one year. Life Cycle Analysis and GHG emission accounting are typically done for the last calendar year.

If you want to cancel your paid plan, contact your sales person or send us an email: support@biocode.io.