Food industry sustainability intelligence platform HowGood has launched its Global Carbon Database (GCD), providing plug-and-play emission factors designed specifically for food and agriculture companies facing regulatory reporting requirements and corporate net-zero commitments.
The database addresses challenges faced by sustainability teams operating with limited budgets while meeting increasing demands for credible carbon reporting. Generic emission factor databases lack the food-specific granularity needed for accurate agricultural emissions accounting, creating gaps in corporate sustainability reporting capabilities.
The Global Carbon Database offers thousands of food materials represented at ingredient, product, and category levels, enabling immediate access to baseline emissions data for carbon accounting, regulatory compliance, and reduction planning. The solution aligns with GHG Protocol, ISO 14067, and PACT framework standards using HowGood’s Carbon Trust certified methodology.
“The industry has been asking for a tool that makes carbon reporting both accessible and credible,” said Nina DePalma, Chief Product Officer at HowGood. “With the Global Carbon Database, any food business — no matter its size or resources — can meet reporting requirements quickly while laying the groundwork for deeper emissions reduction strategies.”
Sustainability platforms including Normative and 51toCarbonZero have already begun integrating the Global Carbon Database into their solutions before public launch. This early adoption establishes shared foundations for credible, food-specific emissions data across the industry.
The integration approach enables consistency and comparability in carbon reporting by providing common standards rather than disparate methodologies. With this, companies previously relying on different databases with varying levels of food sector specificity can get a comprehensive outlook on their emissions output as a whole.
Food-specific granularity addresses reporting gaps
The database draws from decades of food industry expertise to provide agricultural emissions granularity unavailable in broader environmental databases. Superior ingredient coverage includes processed foods and realistic ingredient concentrations that reflect actual food production processes.
This specificity becomes critical for companies seeking compliance with reporting standards like CDP and Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requirements. Food companies face unique challenges in emissions accounting due to complex supply chains, seasonal variations, and processing impacts that generic databases cannot adequately capture.
The audit-ready format reduces implementation timeframes compared to lengthy onboarding processes required for custom sustainability assessments. Food companies can deploy emission factors immediately while maintaining credibility standards required for regulatory compliance and investor reporting.
HowGood positions the Global Carbon Database as an accessible entry point to comprehensive emissions tracking, enabling smaller companies to participate in sustainability reporting previously limited to larger organizations with dedicated sustainability teams and budgets.
