Calculate and Provide Emission Data with kolum

Calculating emissions for your produced articles directly in kolum allows you to maintain accurate, article-linked emissions data that reflects your real operations. By using kolum’s built-in emissions calculator, you capture and organize emissions systematically, ensuring your EU customers receive reliable, verified data without needing to rely on assumptions or disconnected spreadsheets.

This approach supports your sustainability goals while positioning your company as a transparent and responsible supplier.

Why This Matters

Using kolum’s calculator ensures your emissions are tied directly to your products, making it clear which production steps contribute to emissions while reducing the need for manual spreadsheets. Your facility’s emissions data remains organized and ready in case your customer needs it for compliance checks or future verification.

Providing emissions data in this structured way also shows your commitment to transparency and can strengthen your relationship with your customers.

Before You Start

Before starting your emissions calculation, ensure:

• Your production facility is created in kolum and linked to your organization.

• You have collected necessary production data, including quantities produced, material and fuel inputs, and energy consumption.

• You understand your production processes and which calculation method (explained below) best fits your operations.

Where to Start

After logging in to your kolum supplier account:

1. Go to the Buyers section and click on your buyer’s name to view the articles they have linked to you for emissions data.

2. Click “Provide Emission Data” next to the relevant article and select “Calculate Emission Data” as your method.

3. You will be prompted to add a reporting period for your emissions calculation, for example, January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025.

4. After adding the reporting period, set up your production process for that period. This step includes specifying the type of production process relevant to the article and your operations.

Once your reporting period and production process are set up, you will proceed to the emissions calculation workflow.

The Emissions Calculation Workflow

After the reporting period and production process are added, kolum will guide you through a structured calculation process:

Step 1: Add Produced Goods

Here, you will confirm the articles your facility produced during the reporting period by selecting them from the list provided by your customer. You will enter the quantity produced in tonnes for each article, ensuring emissions are only linked to products actually manufactured in the selected period.

If you do not see an article in the list, your customer will need to link it to you before you can proceed.

Step 2: Add In-House Precursor Goods

If your production process uses intermediate goods you manufacture internally (for example, clinker in cement production or pig iron in steelmaking), you will add these precursor goods, specifying the quantity produced during the reporting period.

This ensures emissions are properly attributed across different stages of your production, providing an accurate footprint for your final products.

Step 3: Calculate Direct Emissions

Direct emissions include emissions from fuel combustion, chemical reactions, or other on-site processes that generate greenhouse gases during your production.

kolum provides three calculation methods:

• Standard Balance Method: Tracks carbon inputs and outputs systematically and is recommended for most manufacturers.

• Mass Balance Method: Suitable for chemical industries requiring tracking of specific compounds and reactions.

• Continuous Measurement Method: Uses data from on-site emissions monitoring systems if your facility has them installed.

If you are unsure, it is recommended to start with the Standard Balance Method, as it aligns well with most production processes and regulatory requirements.

You will enter relevant production data (such as fuel and material inputs, carbon content, and outputs) for your chosen calculation method, allowing kolum to compute emissions in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per tonne of product.

Step 4: Calculate Indirect Emissions

Indirect emissions come from electricity, steam, heating, or cooling used during your production, even though these emissions are generated off-site by energy providers.

You will enter:

• Total electricity or energy consumed during the reporting period.

• The appropriate emission factor for your country, supplier, or energy source.

kolum will calculate the resulting emissions automatically, ensuring your product’s emissions data includes energy-related impacts.

Step 5: Add Purchased Precursors

If your production process uses materials purchased from suppliers that carry embedded emissions (such as purchased steel or chemicals), you will add these purchased precursors in this step.

You will enter the quantity used during the reporting period and, if available, include emissions data provided by your suppliers. If you do not have this data, consider requesting it to improve the accuracy and transparency of your emissions reporting.

After Completing the Workflow

Once all five steps are completed:

• Emissions data will be automatically linked to the relevant article within your customer’s kolum account.

• Your customer will be notified of your submission and can review and accept or decline the data.

• You can update or recalculate emissions later if your production data changes or if corrections are needed.

Tips for a Smooth Process

• Gather all production and energy data before starting to avoid delays.

• Complete the steps sequentially to maintain focus and accuracy.

• Use the calculation method that best fits your production process for realistic and reliable results.

• If you encounter issues or have questions during calculation, you can revisit any step to adjust entries as needed.

Common Questions

What if I do not have precise emissions data yet?

If you have approximate data, it is best to calculate using the Standard Balance Method with available information and update later if needed. This helps maintain progress while keeping your customer informed.

Which calculation method should I choose?

The Standard Balance Method is recommended for most suppliers as it is straightforward and aligns with standard manufacturing processes. Use Mass Balance only if you track specific chemical reactions, and Continuous Measurement if you have emissions monitoring systems on-site.

Can I update emissions data later if there is a change in production data?

Yes, you can edit or recalculate emissions data within kolum at any time. Your customer will be notified of the updated data for review.