EPFL CO₂ Calculator

Research activities are at the core of EPFL’s mission, but they also represent a significant share of the institution’s environmental footprint. Laboratories are particularly energy-intensive, often consuming up to ten times more energy than standard office spaces due to ventilation systems, specialized equipment, and continuous operational needs. 

In addition, research activities generate substantial material flows, including high volumes of single-use plastics, chemical products, and biohazardous waste requiring specialized treatment. In this context, understanding and quantifying the environmental impact of research has become essential to support the transition toward more sustainable scientific practices. 

To support more sustainable research practices, EPFL has developed an open source CO₂ Calculator that enables research groups to quantify and better understand the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their activities. 

Most of the modules are pre-filled, making the tool as easy to use as possible.

The EPFL CO₂ Calculator follows the principles of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), the internationally recognized standard for greenhouse gas accounting. The methodology combines institutional data sources, laboratory-specific information, and scientifically validated emission factors to estimate emissions associated with research activities. 

The calculator is designed to maximize the use of automatically collected institutional data while maintaining transparency regarding assumptions and calculation choices. Detailed methodological specifications are documented for each module and category. 

The GHG Protocol distinguishes three main categories of emissions, known as scopes:

Scope 1 – Direct emissions 

These are GHG emissions from sources directly controlled by the organization, such as the combustion of fossil fuels in buildings/facilities and the emissions from industrial processes, such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O. 

In the CO₂ calculator, the modules listed under Scope 1 are “Process Emissions” and the “Energy Combustion” submodule within the “Buildings” module. Certain emissions related to “Rooms” in the “Buildings” module may also appear under Scope 1, depending on the building’s heating source. 

Scope 2 – Indirect energy emissions 

This scope covers emissions associated with the production of electricity, heat, or steam purchased and consumed by the organization. 

The modules included in Scope 2 are the “Rooms” submodule within the “Buildings” module and the “Equipment” module, due to energy consumption. 

Scope 3 – Other indirect emissions 

Scope 3 encompasses all other indirect emissions resulting from the organization’s activities, such as the purchases of goods and services, professional travel, commuting, and waste management. Not all categories listed in the GHG Protocol are included in this version of the calculator (for example, investments are not included). 

In the CO2 calculator, the modules listed under Scope 3 are External Clouds and AI, Professional Travel, Purchases, EPFL Research facilities, as well as Additional Categories for which only aggregated data was used, namely, Commuting, Food, Waste, and Construction and Renovations. 

The development of the CO₂ Calculator is based on a strong collaborative approach involving research laboratories, sustainability experts, and institutional partners. 

The project originated in 2019 within the School of Life Sciences (SV), where a pilot initiative explored the feasibility of measuring greenhouse gas emissions at laboratory level. The experience gathered during this initial phase helped identify key emission sources and informed the design of a scalable methodology suitable for a broader range of research disciplines. 

Building on these foundations, the project progressively expanded beyond the School of Life Sciences and evolved into an institution-wide initiative. The current CO₂ Calculator has been developed as an open-source solution led by EPFL Sustainability in collaboration with ENAC-IT and the EPFL Information Systems Department (DSI). 

The project’s development has been shaped by an ongoing dialogue with external initiatives, notably Labos1point5, as well as several international networks and conferences. These exchanges have enabled the tool to be aligned with scientific and international standards. Furthermore, it incorporates recommendations from various research consortia, including certain initiatives under the SCENE programme, as well as evolving sustainability requirements in funding applications. 

Specific work has also been carried out with the Swiss Data Science Centre (SDSC) to adapt EPFL’s procurement typology to the classification used by Labos1point5, which shares its database of emission factors with us (UNSPSC to NACRES), thereby facilitating the analysis of emissions linked to procurement.

The CO₂ Calculator has three spaces: 

1. CO₂ calculator space

This space allows the evaluation of a unit’s carbon footprint for a given year, based on the previous calendar year (from January 1 to December 31). This includes the following modules: 

• Process emissions: greenhouse gas emissions generated by laboratory activities, excluding research facilities (accounted for in a separate module). 

• Buildings: emissions related to energy combustion and building operations. 

• Equipment: electricity consumption of scientific, IT, and other equipment. 

• External clouds and AI: emissions related to the use of external cloud services and artificial intelligence. 

• Professional travel: emissions related to professional travel by train and plane. 

• Purchases: carbon footprint of purchases, calculated item by item using procurement data from EPFL’s billing system. 

• EPFL research facilities: use of EPFL research facilities by your unit. 

• Additional categories – Commuting, Food, Waste, Construction and renovation. 

This space also lets you track the evolution of the unit’s CO₂ emissions over time. 

2. CO₂ project planner space

The CO₂ Planner space allows estimating the footprint of a research project, whether linked to a funding application or a past, ongoing, or upcoming project. As this space partly relies on data recorded in the CO₂ Calculator, that space must be completed first. 

This information can then be used to assess a project’s impact, support funding applications, and guide your unit’s environmental planning. 

3. CO₂ explorer space

The CO₂ Explorer is a quick estimation tool for assessing the carbon impact of specific elements or actions. It helps evaluate different scenarios, with the option to download a PDF report.