The basic principle is that emissions are calculated by multiplying the purchase amount in SEK by the emissions intensity for the corresponding purchase category. The emissions intensities used by Svalna are based on data from Statistics Sweden’s business register, environmental accounts, the SNI system for Swedish industry classification, and the latest version of the Exiobase database, which captures emissions from imports. To perform the calculations, all purchases are categorized to match them with an appropriate emissions intensity. If the supplier is a Swedish company, we also use information about the specific company to adjust the results.
This depends on the agreement between your organization and Svalna, as well as the availability of data within your organization. Generally, the calculation method relies on accounting data to estimate greenhouse gas emissions per amount spent within different purchase categories. The primary data source consists of economic data, such as invoice amounts, accounting codes, and suppliers. Using economic data provides a comprehensive view of emissions without the risk of double counting. Svalna can also use information about your organization's vehicle fleet and energy declarations for buildings you operate in to refine the emissions calculations. In some cases, physical data is used as a complement when calculating the emissions from transport, travel, and use of energy (e.g. used energy of different types, as well as means of transport and distance traveled).
All emissions linked to the organization’s economic activities and reflected in the accounting data provided to us are included. This encompasses both direct emissions occurring on-site (e.g., from vehicles and machinery) and indirect emissions occurring elsewhere. Svalna calculates emissions regardless of where in the world they occur. The emissions factors we use are based on Statistics Sweden’s environmental accounts and have been calculated using environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis (EXIOBASE 3.9). This method captures all emissions related to the use of energy and other physical inputs across all supply chain stages, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to transport and delivery of goods or services to the end consumer.
Not all financial transactions are attributed to emissions. The basic principle is that emissions are only calculated for transactions related to the purchase of goods and services consumed by the organization. Examples of transactions not attributed to emissions include salary payments, tax payments, credited invoices, and contributions to pension systems. Similarly, internal transfers between departments or entities within an organization are excluded. These are considered intermediary monetary flows that are ultimately consumed by private individuals or public sector entities, whose emissions should be attributed to the end consumer.
It is challenging to quantify, but there are several sources of uncertainty that are important to consider for an accurate interpretation of the results. Svalna continuously works to reduce various sources of uncertainty through better data and more detailed analyses, while some uncertainties are significantly harder to address. One source of uncertainty is that the sectors used for emissions intensities are relatively broad. Another is the difficulty in accurately categorizing all purchases, which is linked to the quality of the accounting data. As a customer, you benefit from ongoing updates, with historical results being automatically adjusted when improvements are implemented.
Svalna has spent several years refining and advancing calculations based on environmentally extended multi-regional input-output analysis to estimate the climate impact of purchasing goods and services. Unlike many other environmental spend tools, we have developed our own emissions model. This enables us to make more specific and accurate estimates by gathering background data about each supplier and using it to adjust emissions calculations. Svalna’s model accounts for inflation and price changes and includes a broader range of categories, allowing for more detailed estimates across industries and sectors. Additionally, unlike other providers, we use data from the Swedish Transport Register and the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building, and Planning’s energy declaration register to verify and adjust emissions calculations for customers’ vehicles and premises. We also utilize a database of emissions for all local district heating networks. Together, this ensures that we can provide more precise climate calculations than other environmental spend tools.
Svalna uses a spend-based methodology to calculate emissions based on actual purchases made by the customer. This approach captures emissions consistently across the entire supply chain, including all production stages. Activity-based methods, such as life cycle assessments (LCA), typically focus on estimating emissions related to materials or input goods. While LCAs may give an impression of high precision, they often struggle to account for the complexities of today’s global supply chains. Around 80% of industrial companies’ emissions are tied to their supply chains, making activity-based methods extremely time-consuming and impractical for the large volume of purchases most companies make. Research and the GHG Protocol indicate that spend-based calculations are often just as accurate while being easier to update as supply chains and economic data evolve. In our view, activity-based methodologies are only justified in specific cases, such as when the customer has significant in-house production.
The carbon calculator measures your climate impact in real time based on how you live, travel, eat and shop. Connect the app to your bank and fill in a short questionnaire about how you live, eat, travel and consume. All purchases made with your bank card are automatically categorized based on where you shop. Emissions are calculated based on money spent in different purchasing categories. The emission factors we use are based on Statistics Sweden’s environmental accounts and are average measures of climate impact per monetary unit.
How is the climate impact of individual purchases calculated? All purchases made with your bank card are automatically categorized depending on where you shopped. A purchase in a grocery store is categorized as “food”, for example. Emissions are calculated by multiplying the purchase value by the emission factor of the corresponding purchasing category. The emission factors we use are based on Statistics Sweden’s environmental accounts and are average measures of the climate impact per monetary unit. More information about how we calculate the climate impacts can be found here.
We can’t know that for sure. But we have consulted with experts and made the best possible qualified estimates based on reasonable assumptions and the latest research about the effect of various behavioral changes and investments. We also continuously analyze the actual emission reductions that occur when our users change behavior, and we use the results to improve our estimates.
Through our collaboration with Tink AB, we offer support for almost all Swedish banks. There are a few exceptions, for example banks that only offer savings accounts.
You are welcome to email us at info@svalna.se.
Because it enables quick and reliable climate analysis. By retrieving data directly from the bank, we don’t miss any purchases and you don’t need to fill in long questionnaires about your shopping. The unique, automated technology in combination with a short survey about your lifestyle makes it easy and straightforward to measure the emissions. More information about security and data protection can be found here .
If you connect your bank to the app, you agree that we collect information about when, where and how much money you spent on shopping, from your bank. You also agree that we use the information to categorize your purchases and estimate the emissions based on where you shopped. We don’t store information about individual purchases, and we can’t see exactly what you have purchased. Read more about how we handle your information in our privacy policy (only available in Swedish).
Using online services is always associated with a certain risk, but we have done everything we can to reduce the risks. Our security architecture has been designed in accordance with the web security organization OWASP’s guidelines, and evaluated by Kirei, one of Sweden’s leading IT security companies. Our security architecture prevents unauthorized third parties from accessing your personal information and using it for illegitimate purposes. All communication is encrypted with SSL encryption, and our servers are certified according to both ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS, a security standard developed by the card companies. Read more about safety and data protection here (only available in Swedish).
By choosing to share your data with researchers, you contribute to studies about sustainable lifestyles – knowledge that can be used to support behavioral changes and inspire more people to adopt low-carbon habits. Sharing your data with researchers is completely voluntary and anonymous. We never share your data with researchers unless you explicitly agree to it. And neither we nor any scientists can ever see where, when or what you have bought.
Yes, you can terminate your account at Svalna at any time. If you choose to terminate your account, all information about you will be permanently deleted from our systems.
Check out our terms of use and our privacy policy (only available in Swedish).
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