In scope 3, currency conversions and inflation adjustments can be automatically taken into account for spend-based emission factors.
To add your own activity in scope 3, you now have the option of searching for spend-based emission factors in addition to the activity-based search factor button. These factors are automatically adjusted for currency adjustments and inflation and can be transferred directly to the Climate Hub. This compensates for deviations between the period and region of the factor and the actual activity.
Procedure
To do this, click on the Search factor (spend-based) button. 
A new window opens in which you can search for and select spend-based activities. You can display the complete selection list or search for keywords. The keywords access both the dropdown list and the detailed description. Once you have found a suitable activity, please enter the currency (unit) and the country in which the activity was performed. If this country is not known, you can alternatively select the country of use. You can also give the activity your own name (kind).
After the desired activity has been selected and accepted with the check mark
please enter the net price in the next step. The net price is the price of a product or service excluding VAT or other taxes. The emissions will then be calculated automatically. This can be viewed in the display in the top right-hand corner for an initial assessment.
In addition, a color symbol may indicate whether all invoices have been taken into account. The text appears when hovering.
- The inflation adjustment was made only partially and not for the entire period.
- Access was made to a factor from a larger geographical region, as no emission factors are available in the original region.
- No inflation adjustment could be made.
- No emission factor with these criteria could be found. Please change the region.
You can use the edit button (pencil icon) to display further information on your activity and make any necessary changes. Please note that the field kind has a character limit. Enter a descriptive title here that best represents your activity.
Methodology
The spend-based emission factors are taken from the EXIOBASE database and are available via climatiq. The factors were grouped by economic sector according to the NACE Rev. 2 codes (European Communities, 2008, ISSN 1977-0375).
Currency conversions are provided automatically by the UN Treasury, IRS and the World Bank, while inflation calculations are provided by Eurostat.
Example
The emission factor 'construction work' is assigned to the NACE codes 41 'Construction of buildings', 42 'Civil engineering', and 43 'Specialised construction activities' (including groups and classes). The factor is defined for Germany, but only for the year 2019. In the Climate Hub, these three NACE codes are grouped into a single selection component: 'Construction: maintenance, installations (e.g. electrical, water), completion and finishing (e.g. locksmiths, painters), building construction, civil engineering'. The consolidation of consistent emission factors makes the selection easier and provides better readability.
You can now select the currency, e.g., Euro, and enter the country, e.g., Germany. If you're creating a report for 2023 and enter, for example, €100, an inflation rate of approximately 22.03% will be automatically applied. The adjusted Euro value (€81.94), multiplied by the available factor (0.4011 kgCO2e/€), results in a CO2e value of 32.87 kg. This value will appear as 0.03 t in the Climate Hub.
Please note that in your CO2 report (PDF), the emission factor used is always listed as a raw factor in its original unit, without taking inflation or currency adjustments into account. This is also indicated with an asterisk.
