The CO₂ Calculator for research activity is a groundbreaking initiative developed at EPFL to help research labs measure and reduce their environmental impact. As one of the first tools of its kind in the academic world, it reflects EPFL’s leadership in sustainability. Designed in collaboration with labs and experts, the calculator provides a rigorous yet practical way to assess emissions from energy use, travel, equipment, and procurement. Already tested across the institution, it positions EPFL to shape future environmental standards in research and support a more sustainable academic ecosystem.
Project objectives
The CO₂ calculator aims to provide labs and EPFL direction with a tool :
- to understand their own carbon footprint (very specific to each research domain)
- to take targeted action
- to visualize the relative impact of different emission sources
- to offer a clearer and more detailed overview of its emissions
- to prepare for upcoming European and national requirements regarding the environmental impact of research projects
Project scope
The ambition is to develop an open-source CO2 calculator that will be made available to all EPFL laboratories, centers, and platforms, as well as other academic institutions in Switzerland. The development of such a tool is crucial to assess the balance of emission sources related to research and to propose emission reduction solutions tailored to the needs and specificities of each laboratory.
The calculator follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the international standard for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, divided into three scopes : scope 1: direct emissions , scope 2: indirect emissions , scope 3: other indirect emissions.
The considered groups of greenhouse gas emissions are:
- Lab’s staff
- Business travel
- Energy needs of occupied space
- Electricity consumption of equipments
- Purchases of goods and external services
- Internal services
- External Clouds
- Additional sources of emissions based on number of EPT / lab (commuting, food, grey energy for building and waste)
This tool will also allowed people to obtain the Carbon footprint not only for their lab but also for specific projects.
History of the project
- Initial Prototype (SV):
The project began in the Faculty of Life Sciences in 2019, where a CO₂ calculator prototype was developed and tested with around thirty labs. It was then refined and scaled across all EPFL faculties.
More details here: SV-CO2 Calculator - Towards an Open-Source Tool:
Since 2023, the project is part of EPFL’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy, aiming to raise awareness and provide a global overview of research-related emissions by 2026 through an open-source calculator available to all EPFL units and beyond.
Contact
Agnès Le Tiec