Every row of activity data gets an emission factor. This article explains how that factor is chosen, and how to change it.
Factor sources, series and sets
A source is a publisher, such as DEFRA, EPA, DCCEEW or IELab.
A series is an ongoing collection from that publisher.
A set is one published release within a series, covering particular years.
Avarni ships more than 30 sources covering Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and global datasets. Browse them in Factor Explorer.
You choose the factor set, not the platform
Avarni does not rank factor databases against each other. There is no scoring between DEFRA and EPA.
Each branch of a Method points at one factor set. The branch that matches a row decides which database that row draws from.
Branches run top to bottom and the first match wins. So the factor set applied to a row is decided by the first branch whose conditions it satisfies.
To change which database a category of spend uses, change the factor set on that branch.
What Map Factors with AI does
When a branch uses Map Factors with AI, Avarni chooses a factor from within the set you selected.
It works from the fields you tick, usually activity class, description and supplier name. It shortlists factors in that set, then selects the closest match.
It cannot choose a different factor set. The database is your decision, the row-level match is the platform's.
To avoid AI matching entirely, use Set Factor on the branch and name the factor yourself.
How region is chosen
Each branch carries a region strategy and a fallback region.
Avarni looks for a factor matching the row's region. If none exists, it uses the smallest region that contains the row's region. If that fails, it uses the branch's fallback region.
Region matching is a preference with a fallback, not a guarantee. A row can receive a factor from a different country if the set has no factor for its own region and the fallback points elsewhere.
Check the fallback region on every branch that handles data from more than one country.
How the year is chosen
The activity date on the row decides the factor year, not your reporting period.
Each branch carries a mapping from the year in your data to the year in the factor source. Avarni shows this as "Year in imported data" and "Year in factor source".
Every year present in your data needs a mapping. A year with no mapping stops the import with a message naming the missing year.
Change a factor
For one row:
Go to Emissions Hub.
Select the factor cell on the row.
Choose a different factor.
For many rows, select the rows and use the factor selector at the bottom of the grid. All selected rows must share an input unit type.
What does "Multiple factors" mean on a row?
You see Multiple factors in the factor cell when you group rows in the Emissions Hub. It means the rows in that group do not all use the same factor. It is not an error.
A chip such as "3 Unmapped" means that some rows in the group have no factor. Those rows contribute nothing to your total.
Remove the grouping to see the factor on each row.
If you choose a factor on a grouped row, Avarni applies it to every row in that group.
If the rows in a group have different input unit types, the cell shows Unit types don't match! and you cannot choose a factor. Group or filter the rows so that each group has one input unit type.
Why does the factor list show no factors?
The factor list on a row shows only factors with the same input unit type as the row. You cannot remove this limit with filters.
Input unit on the row | Factors you can choose |
AUD or another currency | Spend-based factors only |
Kilograms or tonnes | Mass-based factors only |
Kilometres or miles | Distance factors, not tonne-kilometre factors |
Tonne-kilometres | Tonne-kilometre factors only |
Litres or kilolitres | Volume factors, such as fuel factors |
If the input unit on the row is Unknown, no factor matches. The list shows No factors found, and the row has zero emissions. This can happen when an uploaded file has no unit that Avarni can read.
To fix the unit:
In the Emissions Hub, filter by input unit to find the rows with an Unknown unit.
Select the rows.
Select Bulk edit.
In Field, choose Input Unit.
Choose the correct unit. If the invoice shows only a dollar amount, choose the currency, for example AUD.
Choose a factor. The dialog asks for one because the unit type changed.
Select Bulk Edit.
Then check that the amount on each row is in the new unit.
Why does the factor list show only some factors?
When a row already has a factor, the list opens with filters taken from that factor: its factor series, year, region and GHG category. Include Sub-regions is also on. Factors outside these filters are hidden.
The number on the Filters button shows how many filters are on.
To see more factors:
Select Filters.
Remove the filters you do not need, or select Clear.
Select Save.
If the list shows No factors found, select Clear filters to remove all filters. Select Reset to default to return to the filters the list opened with.
Filters you save stay on when you open the factor list on other rows in the same grid.
When a factor seems to be missing, check these filters:
Years. A year filter is optional. If a year returns nothing, the series has no factor of that unit type for that year. Remove the year filter to see the years that exist.
Regions. A region filter hides factors for other regions. A filter for your own country hides factors from overseas sources, such as DEFRA.
GHG Categories. A category filter hides factors with other categories. If the row has a waste factor now, the list opens with only waste factors.
Names. Publishers rename factors between releases. Search for a short part of the name, not the full name from an older release.
Factor Explorer opens with no filters and no unit type limit. So a factor can appear in Factor Explorer but not in the list on your row. It appears on the row only if its unit type matches the input unit type of the row.
How do I search the factor list?
Type in Search factors. The search matches the factor name, unit, year, scope, GHG category, and the source, series and set names.
To combine terms, separate them with a semicolon, for example "paper;kilogram" or "HGV;2025". A factor must match every term.
If no factor matches the words, Avarni searches by meaning and shows factors with a similar meaning.
The search does not suggest a factor from your data. It searches the full factor library, limited by the unit type of the row and by your filters. The factor picker in survey questions works the same way. In a survey question, choose the unit first.
To compare factors before you choose one:
Select the arrow button at the left of the search box (Show details when hovered over).
Hover over a factor to see its source, unit, year, region, gas values, scope, GHG category and description.
How do I check a factor that Avarni chose automatically?
Under the factor name, the cell shows the region, year and unit of the factor. Check each one.
Year. The Method branch maps the year in your data to a year in the factor source. If the year is older than you expect, check "Year in factor source" on that branch. Avarni uses a newer release only when the branch maps your year to it.
Region. It should be your country, or the fallback region on the branch.
Unit. The unit does not have to match your data exactly. Avarni converts between units of the same type, for example kilometres and miles. A factor per mile gives the correct result for data in kilometres.
Name. Check that the name describes the activity. For a vehicle, check the vehicle type, size and fuel. For example, "PHEV van (1.74 to 3.5 tonnes)" is a plug-in hybrid van.
Details. Turn on details in the factor list and hover over the factor. Read the description, scope and GHG category.
Map Factors with AI chooses only from factors that have the input unit type, year and region of the row, inside the factor set on the branch.
If the same wrong factor is on many rows, change the Method branch, not each row. See Find and change a factor in Factor Explorer.
Which road freight factor should I choose?
Start with the data you hold. The input unit on the row decides which factors you can choose.
Your data | Input unit | Factors to look at |
Weight carried and distance | Tonne-kilometres | BEIS / DEFRA factors with names that start "Road freight", for example "Road freight diesel HGV average Laden" |
Distance the truck travelled | Kilometres or miles | BEIS / DEFRA factors with names that start "HGV (all diesel)" or "HGV refrigerated (all diesel)" |
Fuel used | Litres or kilolitres | Fuel factors, for example DCCEEW "Diesel oil" |
Spend only | A currency | Spend-based factors |
A DEFRA HGV factor name has these parts:
Vehicle. "all HGVs", "all rigids", "all artics", or a size such as "articulated (>3.5 - 33t)".
Load. "0% laden", "50% laden", "100% laden" or "average laden".
Purpose. Distance factors name a purpose. "delivery vehicles" is for vehicles that you own or control. "managed assets (vehicles)" is for vehicles that you use but do not own. Read the description of each factor for its purpose.
Well-to-tank. A name that ends "(Well-to-tank)" covers only the upstream emissions of producing and transporting the fuel. It does not cover the fuel that the truck burns.
If you do not know the vehicle size or load, "all HGVs" and "average laden" are the averages across sizes and loads.
The DCCEEW National Greenhouse Account Factors have no distance or tonne-kilometre factors. For freight measured in distance or tonne-kilometres, use a series that has them, such as BEIS / DEFRA.
For other activities, use a factor from your own country when your local source has one.
To see which sources Avarni holds, see Where our emission factors come from.
How do I find a factor for a purchased material, not its disposal?
Many sources publish two factors for one material. One is for the material you buy. The other is for disposal of it.
Purchased material factors have the GHG category "Purchased goods and services". Examples: "Paper (primary material production)" and "Paper (closed-loop recycled source)".
Waste factors have the GHG category "Waste". Their names usually include "waste disposal", "landfill" or "incineration". Example: "Paper waste disposal (to closed-loop recycling)".
The words "closed-loop" do not make a factor a waste factor. Check the GHG category.
To find a purchased material factor:
Open the factor list on the row.
Select Filters.
In GHG Categories, choose "Purchased goods and services". Remove all other categories.
Select Save.
Search for the material, for example "paper".
Rows in kilograms or tonnes show factors per unit of mass. Rows in a currency show only spend-based factors.
What unit is a spend-based factor in?
A spend-based factor is in kilograms of CO2e per unit of currency, for example kg CO2e per AUD. The factor details show this as "kg CO2e/" followed by the currency.
If your spend is in a different currency, Avarni converts it to the currency of the factor first. See Exchange rates and inflation on spend-based numbers.
Add your own factor
Go to Settings › Emission Factors.
Create a factor series and set, if you do not have one.
Select Add Factor, or Upload Factors for a spreadsheet.
Required: name, year, input unit, and the CO2, CH4 and N2O factors.
Enter factors in kilograms of each gas per unit, not tonnes.
A custom factor is used when its factor set is the one a branch points at. Adding a custom factor does not give it priority anywhere else.
Global warming potential
Avarni supports AR4, AR5 and AR6, and defaults to AR6. It is set once for your organisation under Settings › Global Warming Potential.
Changing it recalculates all your historical and future emissions. This takes several minutes, and some figures are unavailable while it runs.
When no factor matches
The row is marked unmapped and contributes nothing to your total. Its factor cell reads "Select a factor".
Find unmapped rows by filtering the Emissions Hub by status.