CarbonSIG – Workbook Helper Guide

Getting Oriented (Before You Start)

1.Understanding how this workbook fits into CarbonSIG

The Data Collection Workbook serves as a pre-system building preparation tool that helps users organize and structure their product carbon footprint data before entering it into CarbonSig's System Builder.

The workbook's role in the CarbonSig workflow

1. Data organization phase (outside CarbonSig)

The workbook helps users systematically collect and document all necessary information across 11 emission categories:

• Product and company information
• Scope 1 emissions (fuel combustion, chemical processes, fugitive gases)
• Scope 2 emissions (electricity, heating and cooling purchases)
• Scope 3 emissions (bill of materials, consumables, capital goods, upstream transport, waste remediation)

2. Preparation for Build with AI

Once completed, the workbook content becomes the foundation for the "Build with AI" feature:

• The Product sheet provides system title and description details
• The Bill of Materials sheet can be exported and uploaded as supporting documentation
• Process descriptions from various sheets inform the detailed description field
• Completed data helps write effective prompts for AI system generation

3. Direct data entry into System Builder

After AI generates the system structure, users reference the workbook to populate Entry Mode:

• Input nodes require quantities and sources documented in the workbook
• Process consumables, capital goods allocations, and transport data transfer directly
• Emission factors and activity data flow from workbook categories into corresponding nodes

2. Knowing what to fill in first
Start with the minimum required information to move forward confidently.

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes for essential data

Complete these sheets in order

1. Introduction sheet (2 minutes)

Read this first. Understand the workbook structure, what each sheet captures, and where to find data.

2. Product sheet (5 minutes)

Complete before any other data collection. This defines your system boundaries.

Essential fields:

Company & Production:

• Company Name, Address, Production Location
• Production Description (brief process overview)

Product Details:

• Product Name and Description
• Classification (industry code if available)
• Gross Production Quantity and Unit (pieces, kg, liters)
• QA Rejection (production lost to defects)

Example:

• Product Name: Aluminum Window Frame
• Description: Residential double-pane, 1200mm x 1500mm, 6061 alloy
• Gross Production Quantity: 1000 pieces
• QA Rejection: 20 pieces (2% defect rate)

3. Bill of Materials sheet (10-15 minutes)

Highest priority. Materials typically account for 60-80% of total emissions.

Required fields for each material:

• Source ID (Steel-001, PCB-Main, Plastic-Housing)
• Material Name (Aluminum alloy, Polypropylene resin)
• Material Description (grade, spec, supplier part number)
• Acquired (Gross) (total purchased)
• Quantity Unit (kg, pieces, liters)
• Attribution (quantity in finished products)
• Waste (scrap, defects, processing loss)

Example:

• Source ID: Aluminum-Frame-001
• Material Name: Aluminum extrusion
• Description: 6061-T6 alloy, 50mm x 30mm profile
• Acquired: 520 kg
• Attribution: 500 kg
• Waste: 20 kg (cutting scrap, recycled)

Where to find this:

• Engineering BOM (EBOM)
• Manufacturing BOM from ERP systems (SAP, Oracle)
• Component specifications and supplier datasheets
• Purchasing records
• Yield reports showing scrap rates

What to include:

• Raw materials (metals, plastics, chemicals)
• Purchased components (electronics, fasteners)
• Packaging materials (boxes, labels)
• Adhesives, coatings, finishing materials

Don't include:

• Manufacturing consumables (go in Consumables sheet)
• Process aids like lubricants (go in Consumables sheet)
• Energy inputs (go in Electricity or Fuel sheets)

Stop here for minimum viable data

You now have enough to:

• Generate an AI system in CarbonSig
• See initial carbon footprint estimates
• Identify which additional categories matter most

3. Understanding what “carbon accounting” means in practice
Clear explanations of carbon footprint concepts used in CarbonSIG:

In practice, “carbon accounting” in CarbonSig means measuring, modelling and tracking all greenhouse gas emissions linked to your operations and products.
CarbonSig turns this into structured models (“systems”) and product‑level claims (PCF, CAPs) that you can analyze and share.

• Carbon accounting (what you actually do)
  In CarbonSig you:
  • Build a system (digital twin) of your value chain: processes, inputs, outputs.
  • Attach emissions data (emission factors, measurements, supplier data) to those flows.
  • Run the system to get CO2e totals and intensities for products, facilities, or the whole company.
• Carbon footprint & CO2e
  • Carbon footprint = total greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, etc.) expressed as CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent).
  • CarbonSig shows both CO2e Emissions (total) and CO2e per Unit (intensity per kg, MWh, piece, etc.).
• Scopes 1, 2, and 3 (company footprint)
  CarbonSig supports all three:
  • Scope 1 – Direct: emissions from sources you own/control (boilers, on‑site fuel use, company trucks).
  • Scope 2 – Energy: emissions from purchased electricity/heat/cooling.
  • Scope 3 – Value chain: all other indirect emissions – suppliers, logistics, waste, product use, end‑of‑life, etc.
• Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
  • A PCF is the total CO2e per product over its life cycle.
  • In CarbonSig, a System models that life cycle (raw materials → processing → transport → use → end‑of‑life).
  • Results show PCF per unit (e.g., kg CO2e/kg product) and where emissions come from (Sankey, bar charts).
• LCA & LCI (how it’s structured under the hood)
  • LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): the overall method for assessing environmental impacts across a product’s life.
  • LCI (Life Cycle Inventory): the detailed inputs/outputs dataset (materials, energy, emissions) used in those systems.
  • CarbonSig’s Library and Emission Data Marketplace store these emission factors/LCIs for use in your systems.
• Embodied carbon & carbon intensity
  • Embodied carbon: all CO2e “built into” a material or product from extraction, manufacturing, transport, and disposal.
  • Carbon intensity: emissions per functional unit (e.g., kg CO2e per kg product) – this is what your PCF and CAPs report.
• CAPs (Carbon Attested Products) & attestations
  • A CAP = a verified claim about a product’s carbon intensity for a defined quantity and period.
  • Attestations (and optionally third‑party verification) turn model results into certificates you can share along the supply chain.
  • These can be transferred to customers and viewed via Product Explorer, enabling book‑and‑claim–style tracking.
• Where this shows up in the UI
  • Systems: where you build & run models (Design, Entry, Analyze tabs).
  • Right sidebar / Analyze: CO2e totals, per‑unit intensities, emissions categories, Sankey & bar charts.
  • CAPs / EACs / Credits: where footprints become claims, certificates, and credits.

4. Knowing who should help provide this data internally
Guidance on roles, contributors, and collaboration:

Time to complete: Identify contributors in 5-10 minutes

Why involve multiple people?

No single person has all the data needed for accurate carbon footprint calculations. Different departments own different information sources.

Benefits of team approach:

• Faster data collection (parallel work streams)
• Higher data accuracy (experts provide their area)
• Better buy-in (shared ownership of results)
• Reduced errors (multiple verification points)

Data ownership by department

Production/Manufacturing team

What they provide:

• Bill of Materials (complete component lists)
• Process descriptions and manufacturing steps
• Production quantities and batch sizes
• Yield rates and scrap percentages
• Equipment specifications and usage hours
• Process parameters (temperatures, pressures, cycle times)

Which sheets:

• Product sheet (production details)
• Bill of Materials sheet
• Chemical Processes sheet (if applicable)
• Capital Goods sheet (equipment data)

Why they're essential: They understand what physically happens during manufacturing and what materials are consumed.

Facilities/Operations team

What they provide:

• Utility bills (electricity, natural gas, water)
• Energy consumption data by building or production line
• HVAC and refrigeration system information
• Boiler and generator fuel consumption
• Building management system data
• Equipment maintenance records

Which sheets:

• Electricity sheet
• Fuel Combustion sheet
• Heating & Cooling sheet
• Fugitives sheet (refrigerant data)
• Waste Remediation sheet (water usage)

Why they're essential: They manage energy systems and have access to utility accounts and meter data.

Procurement/Purchasing team

What they provide:

• Supplier information and contact details
• Material specifications and part numbers
• Purchase quantities and frequencies
• Supplier locations (for transport calculations)
• Freight and shipping documentation
• Consumables purchasing records

Which sheets:

• Bill of Materials sheet (supplier details)
• Consumables sheet (process materials)
• Upstream Transport sheet (shipping data)

Why they're essential: They have relationships with suppliers and access to purchasing systems (ERP, procurement databases).

Quality/Environmental team

What they provide:

• Waste generation data (quantities, types, disposal methods)
• Defect rates and rejection percentages
• Environmental permits and compliance reports
• Hazardous waste manifests
• Recycling and waste diversion records
• Process emissions monitoring data

Which sheets:

• Product sheet (QA rejection rates)
• Bill of Materials sheet (waste/scrap data)
• Waste Remediation sheet
• Chemical Processes sheet (emissions monitoring)

Why they're essential: They track waste streams and environmental compliance data.

Engineering/R&D team

What they provide:

• Product specifications and design details
• Engineering Bill of Materials (EBOM)
• Process flow diagrams
• Equipment specifications and capacities
• Material specifications and standards
• Technical documentation

Which sheets:

• Product sheet (technical descriptions)
• Bill of Materials sheet (engineering BOM)
• Chemical Processes sheet (process chemistry)

Why they're essential: They have detailed technical knowledge of product design and manufacturing processes.

Finance/Accounting team

What they provide:

• Capital equipment purchase records
• Depreciation schedules and asset lifetimes
• Utility billing verification
• Service contract information
• CAPEX logs and fixed asset registers

Which sheets:

• Capital Goods sheet (equipment costs and lifetimes)
• Verification of utility bills
• Consumables sheet (service contracts)

Why they're essential: They maintain fixed asset registers and have historical purchase data.

Logistics/Supply chain team

What they provide:

• Shipping documentation (bills of lading, freight invoices)
• Transportation modes and routes
• Freight weights and distances
• Carrier information
• Inbound shipment tracking data
• Warehouse location details

Which sheets:

• Upstream Transport sheet (all inbound shipments)
• Bill of Materials sheet (supplier locations)

Why they're essential: They manage transportation and have shipping documentation.