MAKING SENSE OF CARBON NUMBERS.
Carbon footprints can feel abstract. Here's how we translate your product's emissions into things you can actually picture.
KILOMETERS
TRAVELED.
Why driving distance?
Most people have a gut feeling for how much CO₂ comes from driving. It's something we do regularly, and the distance traveled gives us an intuitive sense of scale.
How we calculate it
We take your product's carbon footprint and divide it by 0.176 kg CO₂e per km. This is the emission factor for a petrol passenger car (compact class) carrying one person.
Data source: PROBAS database maintained by the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). View source →
Example: If your product has a footprint of 0.5 kg CO₂e, that's equivalent to driving about 2.8 km in a standard car.
KILOGRAMS
OF APPLES.
Why apples? (We think it's fun.)
Apples are universal. Everyone knows what an apple is, and thinking about "how many apples is this?" makes carbon footprints feel less abstract. Plus, comparing food to food just makes sense.
How we calculate it
We divide your product's carbon footprint by 0.879 kg CO₂e per kg. This represents the full lifecycle emissions of apples sold in German shops (growing, packing, transport, refrigeration).
Data source: PROBAS database. View source →
Example: A product with 0.5 kg CO₂e is roughly the same impact as buying 0.57 kg of apples (about 4-5 medium apples).
Fun fact: We picked apples because they're not too high-impact (like beef) and not too low-impact (like lettuce). They're right in the middle—relatable and easy to picture.
LOCATION
VS MARKET.
Two ways to count electricity emissions
When you buy renewable energy certificates, it gets tricky. Are you reducing emissions, or just accounting differently? The answer: both numbers matter.
Location-Based (Shadow Bar)
This method uses the average emissions from your local electricity grid. It doesn't care if you bought renewable certificates—it reflects the actual mix of power plants in your region.
What it tells you: The physical impact on the grid. If everyone in your area uses grid electricity, this is the CO₂ being emitted to power your operations.
Market-Based (Main Bar)
This method uses the emissions from the specific energy product you purchased. If you buy 100% renewable energy certificates, this number can be 0 kg CO₂e.
What it tells you: Your contractual claim. You're financially supporting renewable energy, and this reflects that choice in your footprint.
Why we show both
The market-based method shows your reported footprint and rewards renewable purchasing. The location-based method (shadow bar) shows the grid reality and prevents "greenwashing by accounting." Both numbers are important for transparency, and the GHG Protocol requires companies to report both when renewable certificates are used.
Example: A bakery uses 1,000 kWh/month. Grid average: 0.4 kg CO₂e/kWh = 400 kg CO₂e (location-based). But they buy renewable certificates, so their market-based emissions are 0 kg CO₂e. We show both: the main bar at 0%, the shadow bar at what it would be without renewables.
HOW DID WE
CALCULATE ALL THIS?
If you want to see the full technical details—calculation methods, data sources, standards compliance— we've documented everything on our methodology page.
View Full Methodology