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Understanding Capital Goods Emissions

Capital goods are physical assets with an extended life that your organization uses to manufacture products, provide services, or sell, store, and deliver merchandise. Unlike purchased goods and services, capital goods are amortized over their useful life rather than consumed immediately. Under ISO 14064-1 Category 4, capital goods include:
  • Buildings and facilities: Offices, warehouses, manufacturing plants, retail stores
  • Machinery and equipment: Production lines, HVAC systems, generators, industrial equipment
  • Vehicles: Company fleet vehicles (if purchased, not leased)
  • IT infrastructure: Servers, data centers, computer equipment, networking hardware
  • Furniture and fixtures: Office furniture, shelving, storage systems
Purchased Goods vs Capital Goods

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:
  • Dcycle API credentials (get them here)
  • Capital asset data: fixed asset register, procurement records, or investment records
  • Understanding of your capital asset categories and their acquisition costs or physical specifications
Using the Dcycle App?You can also manage capital goods through our web interface:

Data Map: Capital Goods Requirements Overview

Calculation Methods

Capital goods use the same calculation methods as purchased goods, with identical emission factor sources:
The spend-based method uses economic input-output (EEIO) emission factors based on the monetary value of capital purchases.
Key characteristics:
  • Uses Exiobase 3.8.2 input-output emission factors
  • Best for buildings, infrastructure, and mixed assets
  • Lower accuracy but easiest to implement
  • Use when you only have financial data
For spend-based calculations, Dcycle uses emission factors from:
  • Exiobase 3.8.2 - Multi-Regional Environmentally Extended Supply-Use Tables
  • Covers construction, manufacturing, and equipment sectors
  • Source: Exiobase
Common capital goods sectors:
  • Construction - Buildings and infrastructure
  • Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. - Industrial equipment
  • Manufacture of motor vehicles - Fleet vehicles
  • Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products - IT equipment
Spend-based emissions are calculated as:CO₂e = Acquisition Cost (€) × Economic Intensity Factor (kg CO₂e/€)Where:
  • Acquisition Cost: Total purchase price including installation/commissioning
  • Economic Intensity Factor: Exiobase emission factor for the asset category
Example (Office Building):
Example (Industrial Machinery):

Amortization Approaches

ISO 14064-1 allows two approaches for reporting capital goods emissions:
Report all emissions in the year the asset is acquired.This is the simpler approach and Dcycle’s default behavior.Pros:
  • Simple to implement
  • Matches accounting treatment timing
  • No tracking of asset useful life needed
Cons:
  • Creates emissions “spikes” in years with major investments
  • Year-over-year comparisons more difficult
  • May not reflect when the asset is actually used
Spread emissions over the asset’s useful life, matching financial depreciation.This approach requires manual calculation and multiple annual entries.Pros:
  • Smoother emissions profile
  • Better reflects when asset value is consumed
  • Aligns with financial depreciation schedules
Cons:
  • More complex to implement
  • Requires tracking useful life for each asset
  • Must create entries for multiple years
Contact Dcycle support for guidance on implementing the depreciation approach for your organization.

Recording Capital Goods

Data Flow

1

Identify Capital Assets

Review your fixed asset register to identify assets acquired during the reporting period
2

Classify by Asset Type

Categorize assets (buildings, machinery, vehicles, IT, etc.) for appropriate emission factors
3

Choose Calculation Method

Select spend-based, activity-based, or supplier-specific based on available data
4

Create Capital Goods Records

Record assets via API with expense_type: "capex" to classify as Category 4.1
5

Query and Analyze

View Category 4.1 emissions separately from Category 4.3 in reports

Create a Spend-Based Capital Good

Where to get this data:
  • Quantity: From fixed asset register, purchase orders, or invoices
  • Sector/Product: Map from your asset categories (see Exiobase mapping)
  • Country: Country where the asset was manufactured
Record a capital asset using the spend-based method:
Critical: Set expense_type: "capex"The expense_type field determines which category the emissions are assigned to:
  • expense_type: "opex" → Category 4.3 (Purchased Goods & Services)
  • expense_type: "capex" → Category 4.1 (Capital Goods)
If you omit this field or set it to “opex”, emissions will be incorrectly classified.

Create an Activity-Based Capital Good

Where to get this data:
  • Quantity: From equipment specifications, shipping documents, or technical data sheets
  • Unit: Match the physical characteristic (kg for weight, m² for buildings)
Use activity-based method when you have physical specifications:
When to Use Activity-Based for Capital GoodsActivity-based is particularly useful for:
  • Heavy equipment: Weight-based calculation (kg CO₂e/kg of steel, aluminum, etc.)
  • Buildings: Area-based calculation (kg CO₂e/m² of floor space)
  • Vehicles: Unit-based calculation (kg CO₂e/vehicle by type)
  • Standardized equipment: When physical specs are readily available

Create a Supplier-Specific Capital Good

Where to get this data:
  • Custom Emission Factor: Create from manufacturer’s EPD or Product Carbon Footprint
  • Supplier: Link to the equipment manufacturer
For highest accuracy, use manufacturer-provided emission data:
Finding EPDs for Capital EquipmentEnvironmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are increasingly available for:
  • Construction products: Concrete, steel, insulation, windows
  • HVAC equipment: Heating, cooling, ventilation systems
  • Vehicles: Major manufacturers publish vehicle PCFs
  • IT equipment: Servers, computers (check manufacturer websites)
EPD registries:

Bulk Upload Capital Goods

For large capital investments or fixed asset registers:

CSV Format for Capital Goods

Key points:
  • expense_type must be capex for all capital goods
  • Use appropriate sector/product mapping for each asset type
  • Include supplier_id when available for tracking

Upload Process

Common Capital Goods Sectors

Here are the most common Exiobase sectors for capital goods:
Construction ProjectsFor major construction projects (new buildings, facility expansions), consider:
  1. Spend-based for initial estimates (total project cost × construction EF)
  2. Activity-based for major materials (steel, concrete, glass tonnage)
  3. EPDs for specific materials from suppliers
This hybrid approach improves accuracy while remaining practical.

Query Capital Goods Emissions

Separate Category 4.1 and Category 4.3 in Reports

Analyze Capital Goods by Asset Type

Troubleshooting

Issue: Capital Good Showing as Category 4.3

Issue: What Counts as a Capital Good?

Next Steps

Category 4.2: Waste Disposal

Track emissions from waste generated in operations

Category 4.3: Purchased Goods

Track regular purchased goods and services

Custom Emission Factors

Use manufacturer EPDs for equipment

Back to Category 4 Overview

Return to Category 4 overview