Managing waste fractions and emission factors

Emission factors (EF) are an integral part of calculating a carbon footprint. An emission factor is a representative value that attempts to relate the quantity of a pollutant released to the atmosphere with an activity associated with the release of that pollutant. You can map emission factors to waste fractions in the Diligent ESG system and assign a disposal method, for example landfill, recycling, or energy recovery.

Creating custom waste fractions

You can add waste fractions to the Diligent ESG system manually or using excel import.

Adding waste fractions manually

  1. Select the Settings icon and select Manage Settings.
  2. Select the Manage Waste Fractionstab.
  3. In the Waste fractions section, select Add New.
  4. In the Add waste fraction window, in the Waste fraction Name field, enter a descriptive name.
  5. In the Waste Type dropdown, select whether the waste is hazardous or not.
  6. In the From Unit dropdown, select the unit type that you want to convert.
  7. In the To Unit dropdown, select the new unit type.
  8. In the Conversion Factor field, enter the conversion fraction.

    9. Note

    If you do not have access to the volume to mass conversions, go to Understanding volume to mass conversion for waste data.

  9. Select Save.

Importing waste fractions using Excel

  1. Select the Settings icon and select Manage Settings.
  2. Select the Manage Waste Fractionstab.
  3. In the Waste fractions section, select Import.
  4. In the Import Waste Fractions window, selectSelect and select the file you want to upload from your computer.
  5. Select the checkboxes beside the column and row settings that match your file and select Next.
  6. In the Selected sheet dropdown, select the sheet in the Excel file to use.
  7. In the following dropdowns, select the columns that match the information needed, and select Next.
  8. In the Review section, review and correct any errors in the file and re-upload. If you need to re-upload the file, go to Step 4. If you do not need to re-upload, select Next.
  9. Select Finish.

After you create these waste fractions, you need to map an associated emission factor. For further information about configuring emission factors, go to Mapping emission factors to waste fractions.

Mapping emission factors to waste fractions

Map an associated emission factor to the waste fraction and assign a disposal method, for example landfill, recycling, or energy recovery. You can map emission factors to waste fractions in the Diligent ESG system manually or using excel import.

For more information about what emission factors are currently applied to data entries, go to Viewing emission factors applied to data entries

Note

To map emission factors to a particular waste fraction, you must first create the waste fraction. You can create custom waste fractions so that each organization can categorize their waste using their own desired naming conventions. For further information, go to Creating custom waste fractions.

Manually mapping emission factors to waste fractions

  1. Select the Settings icon and select Manage Settings.
  2. Select the Manage Waste Fractions tab.
  3. In the Emission Factors section, select Add New.

    4. Note

    You must complete all mandatory dropdowns, marked with an asterisk (*).

  4. In the Waste fraction dropdown, select a previously created waste fraction.
  5. In the Disposal method dropdown, select how your organization disposes of this particular waste.
  6. In the Disposal location dropdown, select whether the disposal is on or off site.
  7. In the Calculation method dropdown, select Waste.
  8. In the Emission factor source dropdown, select the emission factor source you want to use for your waste fractions. DEFRA/DECC is the most commonly selected source.
  9. In the Emission Factor dropdown, select the emission factor you want to apply to this particular waste fraction mapping.
  10. Select Save.

Importing waste fractions using Excel

  1. Select the Settings icon and select Manage Settings.
  2. Select the Manage Waste Fractions tab.
  3. In the Emission Factors section, selectImport.
  4. In the Import Emission Factors window, selectSelect and select the file you want to upload from your computer.
  5. Select the checkboxes beside the column and row settings that match your file and select Next.
  6. In the Selected sheet dropdown, select the sheet in the Excel file to use.
  7. In the following dropdowns, select the columns that match the information needed, and select Next.
  8. In the Review section, review and correct any errors in the file and re-upload. If you need to re-upload the file, go to Step 4. If you do not need to re-upload, select Next.
  9. Select Finish.

Note

After you create these waste fractions and map an associated emission factor, you must configure any waste fraction activities to pick up this emission factor set. For further information, go to Configuring waste fraction activities.

Configuring waste fraction activities

You must configure waste fraction activities within the system to a specific emission factor source so that the system can upload data to the activities.

To configure waste fraction activities, you must first complete the following tasks:

  1. Create the waste fraction. For further information, go to Creating custom waste fractions.
  2. Map an associated emission factor to the waste fraction and assign a disposal method. For further information, go to Mapping emission factors to waste fractions.

  1. In the Diligent ESG toolbar, select Data Management and select GHG Activities.
  2. In the table, navigate to the relevant waste activity and select Select beside that row.
  3. Select Config and select the Greenhouse Gas Emissions tab.
  4. In the Calculation Method dropdown, select Waste.
  5. In the Select preferred reporting framework dropdown, select the relevant emission factors source. This source should match the Emission factor source that you selected in the Emission Factor Source dropdown when mapping the emission factor. DEFRA/DECC is the most commonly selected source.
  6. Select Save.

Understanding volume to mass conversion for waste data

When creating a waste fraction, you need volume to mass conversions so that the Diligent ESG system can normalize waste data by either a mass unit or a volume unit altogether.

We recommend that you download and use the WRAP volume-to-mass conversion excel sheet when reviewing what your volume to mass conversion is:

WRAP volume-to-mass conversion

In the Conversion factors tab, there is an array of waste streams. Search for an appropriate description for your new waste fraction and you can see the conversion factor stated in line with this waste stream.

If you are using this WRAP tool when inputting your volume-to-mass conversion, we recommend that you use the following options:

  • In the From Unit dropdown, selectcubic metre.
  • In the From Unit dropdown, selecttonne.
  • In the Conversion Factor field, use the conversion factor identified within the WRAP excel sheet.