Against the backdrop of increasingly stringent global green trade regulations, accurate and well-structured carbon data has become the foundation of credible carbon footprint quantification.
Whether addressing international regulatory requirements such as the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and product carbon labeling, or optimizing production processes to reduce costs and build buyer trust, standardized carbon data management is a critical enabler.
For overseas enterprises, a clear understanding of core data requirements, collection methodologies, and data quality principles is essential to achieving efficient and reliable compliance.

Carbon data collection should comprehensively cover all greenhouse gas emissions and removals within the defined system boundary. In practice, this typically includes the following six core categories:

● Energy Consumption Data
Electricity, fuels, and thermal energy consumption volumes, along with corresponding emission factors.
● Transportation Data
Fuel consumption and travel distances for transport modes such as road vehicles, aircraft, rail, and maritime shipping.
● Production Process Data
Energy use, raw material inputs, wastewater generation, and solid waste outputs associated with manufacturing processes.
● Waste Management Data
Emissions arising from disposal methods such as landfilling, incineration, or recycling.
● Employee Commuting Data
Transportation modes and distances associated with employees’ daily commutes.
● Uncertainty Data
Estimated values, approximations, and documented uncertainty ranges applied during quantification.

Specific data requirements should be tailored to the assessment object (product-level, organizational-level, etc.) and aligned with applicable international standards such as ISO 14067. Accuracy, consistency, and transparency are key to ensuring that carbon footprint results are internationally credible and comparable.

1. Primary Data
Primary data—also referred to as site-specific or foreground data—originates from production processes directly controlled by the enterprise. It is typically obtained through direct measurement, on-site surveys, or sampling analysis.
Data collection should follow a “precision-first” principle:
● Process-level data takes precedence over facility-level data;
● Facility-level data takes precedence over company-wide averages;
● Ultimately, data should be refined to the product level wherever feasible.
● This hierarchy ensures that the quantified footprint accurately reflects real operational conditions.

2. Secondary Data
Secondary data—also known as background data—includes non-measured data sourced from authoritative databases (such as Ecoinvent), government statistics, and industry reports.
Secondary data is typically applied when:
● Primary data is unavailable,
● The process is of lower significance,
● Or secondary datasets provide a better methodological match.
To ensure validity, secondary data must demonstrate adequate technological and geographical relevance. High-quality secondary data can, under appropriate conditions, achieve a reliability level comparable to primary data.

To simplify compliance implementation, enterprises can adopt the following structured five-step approach:

1. Define Objectives and Scope
Clearly identify the purpose of quantification (e.g., regulatory compliance, market access, low-carbon optimization) and define system boundaries (e.g., Cradle to Gate).
2. Develop a Data Collection Plan
Specify data types, sources, collection frequency, and required granularity to avoid unnecessary or unfocused data gathering.
3. Collect Data Through Multiple Channels
Combine direct measurements (electricity meters, fuel records), document verification (energy invoices, transport documents), surveys (employee commuting), and authoritative reference sources (industry databases).
4. Organize and Ensure Traceability
Structure data systematically, record sources and collection dates, and ensure internal consistency and traceability throughout the dataset.
5. Manage and Document Uncertainty
Explicitly record estimation methods and uncertainty ranges to enhance transparency and credibility.
Priority should be given to recent, geographically relevant, and technology-specific data, with regular updates to reflect evolving international rules and methodologies.

1. Data Selection Priority
● Temporal Relevance: Prefer recent data and current emission factors.
● Geographical Relevance: Use region-specific data reflecting the actual production location.
● Technological Alignment: Select datasets that accurately represent the applied production technology.
● Accuracy Priority: Favor data with higher precision and lower statistical variance.
● Completeness: Ensure all significant emission sources are included without material omissions.

2. Essential Quality Documentation
● Completeness: Document data coverage, sample sizes, and measurement intervals.
● Consistency: Apply uniform data selection rules across all stages of quantification.
● Reproducibility: Clearly describe methods and numerical inputs to enable third-party verification.
● Source Transparency: Clearly distinguish between primary and secondary data to support audit and verification requirements.

When managing carbon data independently, overseas enterprises often encounter challenges such as data gaps, inconsistent quality, and difficulties aligning with international standards.
Leveraging extensive global compliance experience, SKYCO2 provides targeted support, including:
● Customized Data Mapping
Identification of essential data tailored to target markets and product categories, avoiding unnecessary data collection.
● Data System Development
Guidance on primary data collection and integration with internationally recognized secondary databases.
● Data Quality Control and Verification Support
Ensuring data integrity in line with international standards and assisting with traceability documentation.
● Compliance-Ready Reporting
Preparation of carbon footprint reports aligned with ISO 14067 and buyer or regulatory requirements, facilitating market access.

If your organization is facing challenges related to data collection, quality assurance, or standard alignment, SKYCO2 is ready to support you with professional and efficient carbon footprint quantification services—helping you meet global compliance expectations and expand confidently into international green markets.