CO2 equivalent, written as CO2e, is the standard unit used to measure and compare greenhouse gas emissions. It expresses the warming potential of all greenhouse gases in terms of the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that would produce the same effect on the climate over a 100-year period.
You will see CO2e used throughout Root's dashboards whenever carbon impact is displayed — typically expressed in kilograms (kg CO2e) or tonnes (t CO2e).
Why do we need CO2e?
Not all greenhouse gases are equally potent. For example:
Gas | Global Warming Potential (100-year) |
Carbon dioxide (CO2) | 1 |
Methane (CH4) | 28–34 |
Nitrous oxide (N2O) | 265–298 |
HFC-134a (refrigerant) | 1,430 |
By converting all gases to a single CO2e figure, it becomes possible to add up, compare, and report emissions from very different sources — a factory's electricity use, a fleet's diesel consumption, and refrigerant leaks — on the same scale.
How Root calculates CO2e
Root uses characterisation factors from the ecoinvent database and established LCA methodology to convert your input data (material weights, energy consumption, transport distances) into kg CO2e. These factors represent the full life cycle greenhouse gas impact of each process — not just combustion emissions.
For example, when you upload electricity consumption for a facility, Root doesn't just account for the CO2 emitted at the power plant — it also factors in upstream emissions from fuel extraction, transmission losses, and infrastructure.
CO2e vs other impact metrics
Root also calculates a broader Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI), which expresses environmental impact in monetary terms (euros). CO2e is one component of the ECI, but the ECI also includes impacts on water, land use, biodiversity and other categories.
Use CO2e when you need to:
Report to climate-specific frameworks (e.g. CSRD, SBTi, CDP)
Compare products on their carbon footprint
Track progress towards net zero targets
Use ECI when you need to:
Understand total environmental cost beyond carbon
Prioritise improvements across multiple environmental dimensions
FAQ
What time horizon does Root use for GWP values?
Root uses the 100-year global warming potential (GWP100) as defined by the IPCC, which is the most widely used convention for corporate reporting.
Why does my product's carbon footprint go up when I switch electricity provider?
Different electricity sources have very different CO2e intensities. Switching from coal-heavy grid electricity to renewable energy will significantly reduce the Scope 2 CO2e associated with your facility's energy consumption.