Emission Factor Rules
Emission factor rules are saved instructions in carbon accounting platforms that automate which emission factor is applied when certain conditions are met, turning expert factor decisions into reusable, auditable logic.
Rules automate the assignment of emission factors to activity data. Instead of manually selecting a factor for every new data row, a rule defines conditions (e.g., activity description contains “natural gas”) and an action (apply a specific emission factor). Once created, the rule runs automatically when new data is ingested.
In Gravity, rules use a three-tier hierarchy: manual overrides take precedence, then organizational rules created by your team, then Gravity’s built-in default rules. Default rules cannot be deleted but can be overridden by creating an organizational rule that takes priority.
Rules can be created in two ways: through the Settings tab, or inline when setting an emission factor in any data table (Gravity prompts you to save the decision as a reusable rule). Rules can be retroactively applied to existing data and support multi-object conditions spanning activities, sites, and suppliers.
For Scope 3 spend data, Gravity’s AI-powered factor inference tool maps spend descriptions to appropriate EEIO (Environmentally Extended Input-Output) factors automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply a rule to data that was uploaded before the rule was created? +
Yes. When creating or editing a rule, you can check the box to apply it retroactively to all affected rows already in the system. For large datasets, it can be faster to delete and re-upload the data so rules apply automatically on ingestion.
Related terms
Emission Factor
An emission factor is a coefficient that converts an activity measurement — such as litres of fuel burned, kilowatt-hours of electricity consumed, or dollars spent on a commodity — into a quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, typically expressed in kilograms or tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e).
Carbon Accounting
Carbon accounting is the systematic process of measuring, recording, and reporting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by an organization, product, or activity. It follows standardized methodologies — most commonly the GHG Protocol — to quantify emissions across Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (value chain) categories, producing an auditable inventory that underpins disclosure, reduction planning, and regulatory compliance.
EEIO
EEIO (Environmentally Extended Input-Output) is an economic modeling approach that estimates greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of economic output by industry sector, commonly used for Scope 3 spend-based emissions calculations.