Keeping track of emission factor updates isn’t easy. With hundreds of data sources, each following its own release cycle and revision schedule, it can feel like a full time job just trying to keep track of everything!
To make this simpler, we’ve pulled together a snapshot of our most accessed emission factor datasets. For each one, we’ve written a short description, the date of its most recent update, and the typical release schedule you can expect going forward.
Our understanding of real-world emissions is constantly improving thanks to advances in measurement technologies, continuous emissions monitoring, data analytics, and carbon-accounting methods. At the same time, the emissions associated with a process can change as manufacturing methods evolve, technologies become more efficient, energy systems decarbonize, or fleets are modernized.
This all means that emission factors need to be updated regularly to reflect the latest science and real-world conditions, and that using the most recent factors is essential for accurate carbon accounting.
Most calculation frameworks, including the GHG Protocol, mandate or strongly recommend using up-to-date emission factors. Beyond compliance and audit-readiness, relying on outdated data can lead to over- or under-reporting, which can undermine progress against reduction targets such as the SBTi.
Our database aggregates emission factors from over 60 vetted sources, eliminating the need to manually track dozens of different sources and release schedules. Instead of spending hours each month checking individual government agencies, industry bodies, and research institutions for updates—each with their own portals, documentation styles, and release calendars—you have a single source of truth that does the heavy lifting for you. We release data updates every month and work diligently to ensure that new emission factors are incorporated into our platform promptly once they're published by the source.
The list below covers twelve of our most popular sources, their latest update, and their usual update sequence.
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A detailed multi-regional environmentally-extended input-output (EE-MRIO) database used for spend-based footprinting and cradle-to-gate analysis.
Last public update: EXIOBASE v3.10 is in beta and was released in the first half of 2025.
Update cadence: Irregular major releases, with patch releases at least annually as methodological corrections are published. Expect big releases every few years and smaller corrections in between.
Official UK Government emission factors (commonly referred to as “BEIS factors”) used widely for corporate and public reporting (energy, travel, procurement, etc.).
Last public update: June 2025.
Update cadence: Annual publication (typically published mid-year; historically June). Minor corrections may be issued later in the year.
One of the world’s most-used life-cycle inventory (LCI) databases, ecoinvent is a Swiss not-for-profit association that supports various types of sustainability assessments.
Last public update: November 2025; major version 4 expected in 2026.
Update cadence: Annual publication usually end of year.
ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique) is the French Agency for Ecological Transition which develops Agirbalyse, a database offering detailed environmental impact assessments of food products.
Last public update: Agribalyse v3.2 released 2024.
Update cadence: Regular but less than annual, historically roughly every ~2 years for major releases with maintenance in between.
CBAM is a regulatory tool designed to measure carbon emissions attributed to the production of high-carbon goods imported into the EU, aiming to promote cleaner practices in industrial production across non-EU countries. To this end, the European Commission publishes emission factors providing the necessary metrics for compliance and environmental integrity.
Last public update: Guidance updated around December 2023; CBAM’s phase-in starts in 2026.
Update cadence: Updates happen via EU legislative cycles; major milestones tied to policy rollouts rather than a regular cadence.
United States government agency that provides regularly updated factors for greenhouse gas reporting in the United States. Note: Under the Trump administration, Cornerstone now maintains the US Environmentally-Extended Input-Output (USEEIO) family of models originally developed by the EPA.
Last public update: January 2025.
Update cadence: Previously annual updates often early in the year; now refer to Cornerstone.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) provides comprehensive electricity emission factors which are essential for understanding the carbon footprint of electricity generation across different regions and energy sources.
Last public update: October 2025.
Update cadence: Annual full update; quarterly electricity emission factor time series updates (April, June, September, December).
CEDA is a spend-based emission factor database with 60,000 factors across 400 industries and 148 countries, used for scope 3 reporting, LCA analyses, and sustainable procurement maintained by Watershed.
Last public update: May 2025.
Update cadence: First release 2025; designed to be maintained and updated annually with new national and IO data releases.
The Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) is a partnership between industry, government, and non-governmental organizations that aims to develop and promote a standardized approach for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions from logistics supply chain activities, including freight transport by road, rail, air, and sea.
Last public update: October 2025.
Update cadence: Framework updates are event-driven (major new framework versions every few years; interim updates when ISO/standards or default values change).
The PCAF European Building Emission Factor Database provides financial institutions with emission factors for mortgages and real estate across Europe, enabling measurement and tracking of financed emissions by country, building type, and energy performance.
Last public update: Data released 2023; new standard released in December 2025.
Update cadence: Updates are tied to PCAF standards releases, which usually happen every few years.
The German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development, and Building provides OEKOBAUDAT, an extensive database of emission factors for materials and equipment used in construction and building design.
Last public update: 2024.
Update cadence: Updates driven by regulatory alignment (EN 15804 updates) rather than a strict annual date.
WRAP provides a comprehensive database for scope 3 food and drink emission factors, employing a consistent methodology that enables businesses to measure and track their supply chain emissions.
Last public update: 2024.
Update cadence: WRAP tends to be refreshed every few years.
The Australian Government provides national emission factors, historically managed by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) and now published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Last public update: Summer 2025.
Update cadence: Regular annual updates, usually late Summer.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) publishes emission factors for use in federal greenhouse gas protocols and frameworks under Canada’s climate policy.
Last public update: October 2025.
Update cadence: Updates occur annually, usually in Spring.
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is the government agency responsible for environmental policy and regulation in New Zealand, providing guidance and resources on greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting including emission factors of different GHG emissions sources.Last public update: June 2025.Update cadence: Updates occur annually, often in Summer.
Update cycles vary widely across emission factor sources, and even within the same source, releases don’t always follow a predictable rhythm. New methodologies, corrected datasets, revised national inventories, and updated energy statistics can all shift numbers in meaningful ways.
That means using outdated factors can introduce hidden inaccuracies into carbon models, regulatory disclosures, and product footprints. For organizations making decisions based on these results—from target-setting to supplier engagement—those discrepancies can add up quickly.
Regularly checking for new releases and switching to the most recent data is therefore essential for maintaining credible, audit-ready carbon accounting.
Climatiq takes this burden off your team. With built-in version control and fully automated dataset updates, you always access the latest, most reliable emission factors without the manual effort, ensuring consistency, transparency, and confidence in every calculation.
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