U.S. Commodity Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors by NAICS Code

1,016 U.S. commodities defined by the 2017 NAICS system have greenhouse gas emission factors based on 2019 data. The dataset provides three factor types per commodity: Supply Chain Emissions without Margins (SEF), Margins (MEF), and their combined total (SEF+MEF). Factors are expressed as kg CO2e per 2021 USD or as kg of individual GHGs per dollar.

Use Cases

• Calculate Scope 3 emissions for a company's purchased goods and services using the SEF+MEF factor for specific NAICS-6 commodities.
• Analyze the contribution of individual greenhouse gases like methane or nitrous oxide to a commodity's total footprint using the by-GHG dataset.
• Model the marginal emissions impact (MEF) of changes in final demand for different U.S. economic sectors.
• Benchmark the carbon intensity (kg CO2e per USD) of supply chains across 1,016 distinct commodity categories.

Strengths

• Covers 1,016 distinct U.S. commodities at the detailed 6-digit NAICS level.
• Provides three specific, documented factor types (SEF, MEF, SEF+MEF) for each commodity.
• Emission factors are based on authoritative 2019 greenhouse gas data from the U.S. EPA.
• Includes separate datasets for aggregated CO2e values and for individual GHG species.

Limitations

• Data is from 2019 and may not reflect recent changes in energy mixes or industrial processes.
• Excludes key sectors like electricity generation, government, and households.
• Factors use 2021 USD purchaser prices, requiring adjustment for inflation in current-year analyses.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Collection Method

Calculated using the US Environmentally-Extended Input-Output (USEEIO) model.

Time Range

Emission factors are based on 2019 greenhouse gas data.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2023, based on 2019 emission data.

Geography

United States, based on NAICS industry classification.