Importing activities through template in Step 2 and 3 of the new CO2 workflow

In Step 2 of the CO₂ reporting workflow, you can use our Excel template to bulk upload activities for your entities. This is the recommended approach when you need to assign multiple activities across different entities efficiently.

Getting Started with the Excel Template

Download the Excel template from the "Upload activities from template" option in Step 2. The template is pre-structured with all the necessary columns and includes helpful guidance on what information is required versus optional.

1. Activity Information:

Required Fields (must be completed):

• Scope - The emission scope category (e.g., 1.1, 2.3, 3.9)
• Entity - The reporting entity this activity belongs to
• Activity Title - Name of the activity using your company's terminology

Optional Fields:

• Activity Description - Additional details about the activity
• Tags - Labels to help organize and filter activities
• Date (DD/MM/YYYY) - When the activity data was recorded

2. Emission Factor Information:

The emission factor section contains many fields, but most are optional. However, some fields have conditional requirements (*):

• Emission Factor ID* - Use this to reference factors from our database
• Emission Factor Name* - Required if providing custom emission factors
• Factor (kg CO2e)* - The actual emission factor value
• Measurement Type* - How the emission is measured (eg., Power, Passenger_over_distance, Time etc)
• Unit* - The measurement unit (eg., passenger-mile, m3, tonne)

  
  

Optional Fields (can be left blank):

• Factor breakdown
• Description
• Sector
• Category
• Region
• Year of collection
• Year of release
• Source
• Link to source
• Source dataset
• Uncertainty

You can find the valid Measurement Type and Unit combinations in the attached excel

Working with Emission Factors (Read this for * marked Emission Factor fields)

The template includes two sections for emission factors: standard location based factors and market-based factors (for Scope 2 emissions). You have three options for handling emission factors:

• Option 1: Use Database Reference
  • Fill in: Emission Factor ID only
  • Leave blank: All other emission factor fields
  • The system will automatically retrieve all factor details from our database

• Option 2: Provide Custom Emission Factor

  • Fill in: Emission Factor Name, Factor, Measurement Type, and Unit
  • All four fields must be completed together
  • Partial entries will cause upload errors

Important Unit Validation: Each Measurement Type has specific allowed units. The system will reject uploads if units don't match the measurement type. Always use the designated units as shown in: 
The attached excel file, OR The hidden sheet in the upload template downloaded from the tool

• Option 3: Leave Empty
  • You can leave all emission factor fields blank. The system will prompt you to select appropriate factors during the upload process or allow you to assign them later in the workflow.
    

Remember: You cannot mix approaches - either use the database ID alone, or provide all custom factor details. Incomplete combinations will fail validation.

Market-Based vs Location-Based Factors
For Scope 2 emissions, the template provides separate columns for market-based and location-based emission factors. Market-based factors account for specific energy procurement contracts, while location-based factors use regional grid averages. 

After Upload

Once you upload your Excel file, the system automatically distributes activities to the appropriate scopes and entities. This can take a few minutes to reflect on the tool depending on the number of activities and entities as the tool processes it in the backend. You can review and adjust these assignments before proceeding to Step 3 of the workflow.

If you encounter any issues during upload, please check the error log for exact cause of issue and follow the guidelines above, as incomplete or inconsistent factor information is the most common cause of upload problems.

Adding and Editing Activities per Entity in CO₂ Reporting (Step 3)

In Step 3 of the CO₂ reporting workflow, you can refine activities on an entity-by-entity level. This step allows you to upload, edit, and manage activity data directly for a single entity, ensuring accuracy and flexibility before moving forward in the reporting process.

Uploading Activities per Entity

Each entity has the option to upload its own Excel file in Step 3. The upload process is similar to Step 2, but with important differences in required fields:

Key Differences from Step 2:

• No Entity Field Required – Since the upload is already specific to the selected entity, you don't need to include an entity field in the template
• Additional Required Fields – Value, Unit, and Data Confidence are now available

If you upload activities for multiple entities at the same time, please note that uploads are processed one entity at a time and may take several minutes to complete and appear in the system. This streamlined approach makes it faster for individual entities to provide their data without repeating information already defined earlier in the workflow.

1. Activity Information:

Required Fields (must be completed):

• Scope - The emission scope category (e.g., 1.1, 2.3, 3.9)
• Activity Title - Name of the activity using your company's terminology

Optional Fields. However, some fields have conditional requirements (*) :

• Value* - The numerical amount of your activity data
• Unit* - The measurement unit for your value
• Data Confidence* - How reliable your data is (typically low, moderate or high)

• Activity Description - Additional details about the activity
• Tags - Labels to help organize and filter activities
• Date (DD/MM/YYYY) - When the activity data was recorded

2. Emission Factor Information:

Unlike Step 2, emission factor requirements depend on your activity data completion:

If Value, Unit, AND Data Confidence are all provided:

• Emission factors become mandatory - you must choose one of the two options below

If any of Value, Unit, or Data Confidence are missing:

• Emission factors are optional and can be left blank

If, emission factors are mandatory for you in Step 3. You must choose one of two options:

• Option 1: Use Database Reference

• Fill in: Emission Factor ID only
• Leave blank: All other emission factor fields
• The system will automatically retrieve all factor details from our database

• Option 2: Provide Custom Emission Factor

• Fill in: Emission Factor Name, Factor (kg CO2e), Measurement Type, and Unit
• All four fields must be completed together
• Partial entries will cause upload errors

For Scope 2 emissions, you will again see separate fields for market-based and location-based factors. Entities can update these as needed based on their specific procurement contracts or regional averages.

You can find the valid Measurement Type and Unit combinations in the attached excel file.

Adding and Editing Activities Manually:

Besides uploading a file, you can also add new activities directly within the system or make adjustments to previously uploaded activities. All edits are logged, so you maintain full transparency into how activity data evolves during the reporting process.

For questions about specific emission factor IDs or help with recurring issues, please contact our Customer Success team!