Transportation

Module name	Transport
Module category	Transformation
Version	1.4
Methodology ID	RBW-MOD-TPRT-V1.4
Release date	July 1st, 2026
Status	In use

Glossary

Embodied Transport Emissions	GHG emissions associated with the production, maintenance, and operation of transportation infrastructure and vehicles across all modes of transport (e.g., road, sea).
GVW	Gross Vehicle Weight is the total weight of a vehicle, including its own weight plus the weight of any cargo
Loading rate	Ratio of actual load to the full load or capacity (e.g. mass or volume) that a vehicle carries per trip.
Segment	Part of the transportation process involving the movement of inputs or products between point A and point B within the project boundary.
Transport segment	One shipment of a fixed amount of material from a known location A to a known location B. It represents a one-way trip.
Transport Unit	A general term used to describe any vehicle, vessel, or mode of transportation used to move goods or passengers from one location to another. In this module version, this includes trucks, ships and pipeline.
Transport type/ mode of transport	Type of transport. E.g. by land (truck, rail, pipe), by water (boat, ferry), by air (airplane). This module's first version focuses on road and sea transport type.

This is a Transformation Module and covers the upstream and downstream transportation throughout the project lifecycle. A modular approach allows Project Developers to choose the relevant modules for their project, and shall be used with the necessary accompanying modules and methodology.

How to use this module

BiCRS Methodology

Eligibility and scope

This module covers transportation steps throughout the project life cycle and over several modes of transportation.

Transportation steps covered include but are not necessarily limited to feedstock transportation to the processing site and product transportation to the permanent storage site.

Modes of transportation currently include road and sea transport, as well as transport via pipeline. Other modes will be included in future versions of this module and may be proposed by Project Developers on a case-by-case basis.

This module must be used with another Rainbow Methodology. Eligible technologies, certification requirements, and any other requirements shall be taken from the applicable methodology.

Principles & requirements

The principles and requirements specific to this module are detailed in the sections below.

Other principles and requirements shall be taken from the accompanying modules and methodologies:

Methodology

• Additionality

• No double counting

• Environmental and social safeguards

Other modules

• Durability

• Co-benefits

• No double counting

• Environmental and social safeguards

• Leakage

Monitoring

Monitoring Plans for this module shall include, but are not limited to, tracking of the following information for each production batch:

Energy amount approach

• Transport unit category used per segment

• Amount of fuel per transport segment

• Fuel type and fuel production geography per transport segment

• Number of trips per transport segment

• For CO₂ transport only: amount of project CO₂ and total amount of CO₂ transported per transport segment

Energy efficiency approach

Distance-based approach

Monitoring Plans shall include the following information for each monitored parameter:

• monitoring frequency

• emission sources and sinks

• data source

• measurement methods/procedures, and their accuracy and calibration

• quality assessment or quality control procedures

• responsible party for collecting and archiving data

GHG quantification

The GHG quantification instructions from all other modules used by the project must be used in conjunction with the present module in order to obtain full life-cycle GHG quantifications.

System Boundaries

This module covers the life cycle GHG emissions from all transportation of feedstock, of CO₂, and of carbon storage solutions by road, sea, train and pipeline.

Two main life cycle stages are considered:

1. Energy use emissions

2. Embodied emissions

Emissions shall be calculated for each transport segment. A transport segment is defined as one shipment of a fixed amount of material from a known location A to a known location B using one transport unit. It represents a one-way trip, and additional information shall be provided to model the round-trip or next segment.

There are three approaches for modeling energy use emissions:

1. Energy-amount approach: based on the type and amounts of energy used for each transport segment. This approach is more precise but the required data are more difficult to obtain. Energy use emissions from CO₂ transportation infrastructure (i.e. pipelines) shall be calculated using this approach.

2. Energy-efficiency approach: based on the energy efficiency (e.g. liters diesel/km) of transport units and type of energy used for each transport segment, plus the distance traveled, to calculate the amount of energy used.

3. Distance-based approach: based on the mass of goods transported, distance traveled, and generic transportation emission factors for shipping by road, water or tracks.

Project Developers may use different approaches for different modes of transport and transport segments.

The distance-based approach relies on more assumptions compared to the other two approach, and these assumptions are always conservative. To avoid the application of such conservative assumptions, it is in the project’s best interest to provide directly measured energy amounts, or if that data is unavailable, energy efficiency. While obtaining this data is more challenging than simply recording distances and load weights, it allows for more accurate and less conservative calculations.

Data sources

The required primary data from projects are presented in Table 1 and vary depending on the approach chosen (energy or distance-based).

Data shall be reported from Project Developers for each transport segment and then converted to the above mentioned functional unit upon annual verification.

Table 1 Summary of primary data needed from projects and their source. One asterisk (*) indicates which data are required to be updated annually during verification (see Monitoring Plan section). Two asterisks (**) indicate which data are optional, where a conservative default choice will be applied.

Energy amount approach

Parameter	Unit	Source proof examples
Fuel or electrictiy quantity consumed per transport segment*	Kg or kWh	Measurements from the transport unit (e.g. vehicle flow sensors) Measurements from tracking systems Values reported by on-board transport unit diagnostic systems (OBD) Purchase receipts of fuel plus local fuel cost per unit
Fuel or electricity type* and geography**	Category (see Appendix 1)	Data from tracking systems Fuel purchase receipts, showing the fuel type and location of purchase. Photographic evidence
Number of trips per transport segment*	Unit	Number of trips each transport segment is repeated during the monitoring period (e.g. 10 trips from A to B and 8 trips from C to D)
Transport unit category**	Trucks: Light (<7.5t) Medium (7.5t-32t) Heavy (>32t) Ships: ferry (short distance sea transport) container ship bulk carrier for dry goods tanker for liquid goods CO2 transportation infrastructure (i.e. pipelines)	Transport unit documents Transport unit photo (showing the car license plate) Transport unit certificates or other official documents containing the transport unit weight with maximum load capacity (proven with the parameter "weight of the loaded and unloaded vehicle")
Next step after transport segment **	Description	Detail of the next step after completing a transport segment (e.g. whether the truck returns to the original location empty, carries goods for another client on the return trip, or will be involved in a subsequent transport segment).

Energy efficiency approach

Distance based approach

Return trip and subsequent transport segments

Note that providing data on the transport unit's next trip after the transport segment is optional (see Table 1).

• Loaded Return Trips: If the transport unit is loaded for its subsequent transport segment (e.g., returning to point A or proceeding to a new point C), the emissions from these following transport segments may be excluded from the project's GHG emissions calculations. In such cases, the emissions are attributed to the client responsible for the goods transported during the subsequent trip.

• Empty Return Trips: If the transport unit is empty for its subsequent transport segment, the emissions from that segment must be included in the project's GHG emissions calculations. Project Developers have the option to provide the actual fuel consumption data for the empty trip. If this data is unavailable, it will be assumed that the fuel consumption matches that of the initial trip. This assumption is conservative, as an empty vehicle typically exhibits improved fuel efficiency.

• Unknown Next Transport Step: If Project Developers cannot verify the transport unit's next step after the project’s transport segment, it shall be assumed that the vehicle returns empty to point A. In this case, the emissions from the empty return trip are included in the project’s transport segment calculations.

• Distance-Based Approach: When using the distance-based approach, an empty return trip is always modeled. To provide more specific details on the return trip, Project Developers must use either Approach 1: Fuel Amount or Approach 2: Fuel Efficiency.

The ecoinvent database version 3.12 (hereafter referred to as ecoinvent) shall be the main source of emission factors unless otherwise specified. Ecoinvent is preferred because it is traceable, reliable, and well-recognized. The ecoinvent processes selected are detailed in the Appendix 1.

If the available emission factors do not accurately represent the project, a different emission factor may be submitted by the Project Developer, and approved by the Rainbow Certification Team and the VVB. Any emission factor must meet the data requirements outlined in the Rainbow Standard Rules, and come from traceable, transparent, unbiased, and reputable sources.

Secondary data is used for the fuel combustion emission factor and is presented in Table 2 and 3 below.

Assumptions

1. After analyzing the impacts of four different truck categories, the emissions for medium truck transport are averaged across two truck sizes: 7.5-16 tons and 16-32 tons.

2. If proof about the following transport segment (e.g. B back to A, or B onwards to C) cannot be provided, it is assumed that the transport unit returns empty with the same GHG emissions as the initial transport segment.

3. In the Distance-based approach, transport unit emissions from ecoinvent are used, where the emission factor includes emissions from an empty return trip (i.e. a load factor of 0%). The average load factors for the outbound journey assumed in the emission factor are detailed in Table 2 for truck transport and Table 3 for ship transport.

4. Embodied emissions from road transport include upstream emissions from truck manufacturing, road construction, and ongoing maintenance. For ship transport, embodied emissions cover at least the emissions associated with the ship itself, its maintenance, and the port facilities.

Table 2 Summary of outbound journey average load factor per truck category. Calculated based on ecoinvent assumptions.

Truck category	Outbound journey average load factor (%)
Light	28
Medium	30
Heavy	89

Table 3 Summary of outbound journey average load factor per ship category. Calculated based on ecoinvent assumptions.

Truck category	Outbound journey average load factor (%)
Ferry	50
Container ship	70
Bulk carrier for dry goods	53
Tanker for liquid goods	54

Energy use emissions

The approaches to model energy use emissions from transport are detailed below.

Energy amount approach

This approach accounts for emissions from:

1. upstream energy production and processing

2. direct GHG emissions from combustion (if fuel is the energy source rather than electricity)

Emissions for upstream energy production and processing shall be taken from ecoinvent. Options of energy types are presented in Appendix 1.

If an electric vehicle charging station is directly connected to a renewable energy source (e.g., solar), emission factors for renewable energy production may be taken from ecoinvent, as detailed in Appendix 1. Otherwise, emission factors based on the regional grid will be applied.

The direct GHG emissions from fuel combustion shall be taken from Table 4. Project Developers may suggest emission factors for other fuel types not included here if they:

• are based on reputable, transparent sources

• consider at least CO$_2$, N$_2$,O and CH$_4$, emissions

• are geographically accurate for the project's context

• are approved by the VVB and the Rainbow Certification Team.

Project Developers may declare a mix of fuels used (e.g. mostly diesel with a fraction of bioethanol). Default country-specific values shall be used for the ratio of diesel to biofuel (see Appendix 2), unless Project Developers provide proof of a different ratio.

Table 4 Direct GHG emissions from combustion for several fuel types, relevant for a European context. The first three columns represent emissions in kilograms of gaseous pollutants per kilogram of fuel combusted. The final column presents the total emission factor for fuel combustion, expressed as kg CO$_2$eq, after converting N$_2$O and CH$_4$ emissions using their respective Global Warming Potentials (GWPs).

Fuel	CO2	CH4	N2O	kgCO2eq/kg
Diesel - 100% mineral	3.16	0.00001167	0.000148	3.20
Biodiesel	NA	-	-	0.19
Bioethanol	NA	-	-	0.0114
Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)	3.11	0.0000473	0.000148	3.15

Calculations: Energy amount approach

$\textbf{(Eq.1)}\ E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use} = E_{\ upstream\ fuel} + E_{\ direct\ fuel}$

where,

• $E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use}$ represents the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the energy use involved in transporting all input and output materials in kgCO$_2$eq during the entire monitoring period.

• $E_{\ upstream\ fuel}$ represent the sum of GHG emissions resulting from upstream fuel emissions, in kgCO$_2$eq.

• $E_{\ direct\ fuel}$ represent the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the fuel combustion, in kgCO$_2$eq.

$\textbf{(Eq.2)}\ E_{\ upstream\ fuel}\ = \sum(Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ EF_{fuel,\ s}*N)$

where,

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ represents the quantity of fuel (kg, liters or m³) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material i throughout the segment s.

• $EF_{fuel,\ s}$ is the upstream emission factor for the considered fuel used during transport in the segment s. Units vary depending on the fuel's units in ecoinvent (e.g. in kgCO$_2$eq/kWh or kgCO$_2$eq/kg). Refer to Appendix 1 for fuel options.

• $N$ represents the number times segment s is repeated during the monitoring period.

$\textbf{(Eq.3)}\ E_{\ direct\ fuel}\ = \sum(Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ \lbrack R_{gas,\ g}*GWP_{gas,\ g}\ \rbrack*F*N)$

where,

• $R_{gas,\ g}$ represents the rate of direct emissions for gas g (CO$_2$, N$_2$O and CH$_4$) for the combustion of the fuel type used in the transport segment s, presented in Table 4.

• $GWP_{gas,\ g}$ represents the global warming potential of gas g, taken from IPCC AR6 GWP100 values presented in the Rainbow Standard Rules.

• F represents the percentage of diesel in the fuel mix (as opposed to biofuel), which should be based on the country's fuel blend as detailed in Appendix 2. For example, if the diesel blend consists of 93% diesel and 7% biodiesel, then the emission of 100% mineral diesel from Table 4 should be multiplied by $F$, which in this case would be 93%.

Energy efficiency approach

The amount of energy used can be calculated by Project Developers using the distance traveled, and the energy efficiency (e.g. fuel consumption efficiency) of the vehicle. Then, the description and equations from the Energy Amount Approach section apply.

Calculations: Energy efficiency approach

$\textbf{(Eq.4)}\ Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s} = \sum (D_{i,\ s}*\ \eta_{s})$

where,

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ represents the quantity of fuel (kg, liters or m³) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material $i$ throughout the segment $s$.

• $D_{i,\ s}$ represents the distance traveled in the transport section $s$ to transport the material $i$, in km.

• $\eta_{s}$ represents the fuel consumption efficiency of the vehicle used in transport section $s$, in kg/km or kWh/km.

After calculating the amount of energy consumed, $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$, is used in Equations 2 and 3 from the Calculations - Energy amount approach section instead of directly measured energy amounts.

Distance-based approach

When details about the total energy consumption or vehicle energy efficiency are unavailable, GHG emissions from transport shall be modeled using:

• default ecoinvent emission factors or others if not accurately representing the project,

• the weight of the product i transported through the segment s, in tonnes, and

• the distance traveled.

For vehicles transporting CO₂, the emission factor shall account for the weight of the CO₂ containment equipment and the energy used to maintain the CO₂ in a compressed and / or liquefied state during transportation.

Calculations: Distance-based approach

$\textbf{(Eq.5)}\ E_{\ transport\, total}\ = \ \sum (D_{i,\ s}*W_{i,\ s}*EF_{\ transport})$

Where

• $E_{\ transport}$ represents the sum of GHG emissions resulting from the energy use and embodied emissions involved in transporting all input and output materials in kgCO$_2$eq during the entire monitoring period.

• $D_{i,\ s}$ represents the distance traveled in the transport section $s$ to transport the material $i$, in km.

• $W_{i,\ s}$ represents the weight of the product i transported through the segment $s$, in tonnes.

• $EF_{\ transport}$ represents the emission factor of the transport unit (truck or ship) in kgCO$_2$eq/t.km. This emission factor includes both upstream fuel production, direct emissions from fuel combustion, and embodied emissions from e.g. trucks, ships, roads... The ecoinvent options are presented in Appendix 1.

Embodied Transport Emissions

Embodied transport emissions include GHG emissions from production and maintenance of major materials used in transport, such as trucks, ships and roads. These need to be added separately if the Energy amount approach or Energy efficiency approach are used to calculate energy use emissions. Emission factors from ecoinvent are used, and Project Developers shall choose between the following truck/ship categories:

Road transport

For road transport, Project Developers shall select one of the following truck category sizes:

1. Light category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of less than 7.5 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size classes of 3.5-7.5 tonnes

2. Medium category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of more than 7.5 tonnes and less than 32 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size classes of 7.5-16 tonnes and 16-32 tonnes. The average values from these two truck sizes are used.

3. Heavy category: includes trucks with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of more than 32 tonnes. In the ecoinvent database, this category encompasses lorry size class >32t.

Ship transport

Truck, ship and road production and maintenance have significant GHG emissions over their entire lifespan. However, for the purpose of issuing carbon credits, these emissions must be distributed proportionally across the specific transport segment under review ("amortized"), rather than being counted entirely upfront.

This amortization is done on the basis of the amount of travel done in the segment, compared to the total expected amount of travel for the lifetime of the transport unit. The general approach is described below.

For example, it can be extrapolated from Ecoinvent that Truck 1 has total lifetime embodied emissions from production and maintenance amounting to 20 tCO$_2$eq, along with an estimated total lifetime fuel consumption of 30,000 liters of diesel (note that actual values may vary).

If the project reports that Truck 1 consumed 300 liters of diesel during the monitoring period, the truck's total emissions would be proportionally allocated to the project based on the ratio of fuel consumed during the monitoring period to its total lifetime fuel consumption. The calculation would be as follows:

• Fuel Consumed in Project ÷ Total Lifetime Fuel Consumption = 300 liters ÷ 30,000 liters = 10% of lifetime use

Thus, the project is assigned 10% of Truck 1’s embodied emissions for that monitoring period. This equates to:

• 10% * 20 tCO$_2$eq = 0.2 tCO$_2$eq

This allocation method ensures that emissions from Truck 1’s production and maintenance are appropriately amortized across its lifetime use.

In practice, this is implemented by taking an ecoinvent transport emission factor (in kgCO$_2$eq/tonne*km), isolating the embodied emissions, and multiplying by the fuel efficiency (in kg or kWh per tonne*km) to obtain an embodied emission factor in terms of kgCO$_2$eq/kg or kWh of energy.

Calculations: Transport embodied emissions

Energy amount approach

$\textbf{(Eq.6)}\ E_{transport,\ embodied} = \sum_{s} Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}*\ EF_{transport,\ e}$

where,

• $E_{transport,\ embodied}$ represents the total project embodied emissions from transport, in kgCO$_2$eq.

• $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ is explained in Eq. 1 and represents the quantity of fuel (kg) or electricity (kWh) used to transport the material i throughout the segment s.

• $EF_{transport,\ e}$ is the emission factor for transport embodied emissions $e$ in kgCO$_2$eq/kg or kWh of energy. The approach to obtain this emission factor is described above.

Energy efficiency approach

Fuel efficiency may be used to calculate the amount of fuel consumption ( $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ ) as presented in Equation 4. The, $Q_{fuel,\ i,\ s}$ is used in Equation 6 to calculate embodied emissions from transport.

Distance-based approach

The distance-based method uses emission factors from ecoinvent that already account for embodied emissions. No extra steps are necessary here.

Total project emissions

The calculations for total project transport emissions are as follows:

Energy amount approach and Energy efficiency approach:

$\textbf{(Eq.7)}\ E_{\ transport\, total} = E_{transport,\ embodied} +E_{\ transport,\ energy\ use}$

Distance based approach:

$E_{\ transport\, total}$ is already calculated in Equation 5.

Uncertainty assessment

See general instructions for uncertainty assessment in the Rainbow Standard Rules. The outcome of the assessment shall be used to determine the percent of RCCs to eliminate with the discount factor.

The uncertainty of assumptions presented in the Assumptions section are assessed below:

1. Averaging truck sizes: this has low uncertainty since analyses showed that the emission profiles for the two medium truck sizes in ecoinvent were similar.

2. Empty returns: this has high uncertainty but the most conservative approach is taken in the quantifications.

3. Using the default ecoinvent load factor: this has high uncertainty, because in ecoinvent, it is assumed that all vehicles are not full. This load factor affects several aspects of the GHG emissions from road transport, and a project's load factor may be higher or lower.

4. Embodied transport emissions: this has low to moderate uncertainty as the transport unit and road maintenance is the most impactful embodied emissions processes.

The equations have no uncertainty since they are basic conversions.

Direct GHG emissions from combustion are used as secondary data and have moderate uncertainty. These values are not expected to vary significantly within the European fuel mix.

The uncertainty at the module level is estimated to be low. This translates to an expected discount factor of at least 3% for projects that have significant GHG impacts from transport.

CRCF requirements

🇪🇺CRCF requirement: Emission factors

For projects that comply with the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation (EU/2024/3012), emission factors shall be calculated according to the rules set out below.

🇪🇺 CRCF emission factors for electricity

The emission factor for electricity consumption shall be calculated in accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 of Part A of the Annex to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1185.

Paragraph 5: Fully renewable electricity

Where electricity qualifies as fully renewable under Article 27(3) of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), its emission factor is zero. Electricity qualifies as fully renewable under either of the following conditions:

• It comes from a direct connection to a dedicated renewable generation installation, provided that Project Developers can demonstrate compliance with the rules set out in Article 3 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1184, summarized below for information purposes

  • The installation comes into operation after, or at the same time, as the carbon removal project; and

  • The installation is either not connected to the grid, or is connected to the grid but evidence can be provided that the electricity consumed by the project has been supplied without drawing from the grid.

• It is taken from the grid and Project Developers can demonstrate compliance with the rules set out in Article 4 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1184. According to Article 4, electricity taken from the grid qualifies as fully renewable if:

  • the project is located in a bidding zone where the grid is already over 90% renewable, within a capped number of operating hours proportional to that renewable share.

  • the grid's emission intensity at the project location is below 18 gCO₂eq/MJ and the Project Developer has a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) backed by electricity that meets temporal and geographical correlation requirements.

  • it is consumed during periods when renewable generators were being curtailed (redispatched downwards), meaning the project is effectively absorbing excess clean energy that would otherwise be wasted.

  • Where none of the above apply, grid electricity can still be counted as fully renewable if it meets the full set of requirements: additionality, temporal correlation, and geographic correlation as defined in Articles 5, 6, and 7 of that same Regulation.

Paragraph 6: Electricity not qualifying as fully renewable

Where electricity does not meet the above conditions, one of the following three methods shall be used to determine its GHG emission factor

• Use the default GHG emission values calculated according to Part C of the Annex to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1185. This gives a country- or bidding-zone-specific average emission factor for grid electricity, based on the actual energy mix of the grid where the facility operates.

• The GHG emission factor is determined by comparing the number of hours the production facility operates per year against a regulatory threshold, defined as the number of hours in which renewable generators or nuclear power plants set the marginal electricity price in the preceding calendar year.

  • If the facility operates for a number of hours equal to or below that threshold, it is considered to draw electricity only during periods when the grid is predominantly supplied by clean energy. Grid electricity is therefore assigned a GHG value of 0 gCO2eq/MJ.

  • If the facility operates for more hours than that threshold, the facility is also running during periods when fossil fuels set the electricity price. Grid electricity is therefore assigned a GHG value of 183 gCO₂eq/MJ, which is the standard fossil electricity comparator under RED III.

• Where publicly available, the GHG emission factor of the specific unit generating electricity at the exact time of electricity consumption by the project can be used, as published by the national transmission system operator (TSO) of the relevant bidding zone.

If the emission factor is determined by comparing the operating hours against a regulatory threshold (method 2), this methods shall be applied to all electricity consumed by the project, including any electricity that would otherwise qualify as fully renewable under Paragraph 5. Developers cannot combine this method for grid electricity with a zero-emission factor for their dedicated renewable supply. The choice of method is therefore a commitment that applies across the entire electricity input of the project.

Additional information for the calculation of the electricity emission factor

Calculation timeframe. By default, emission factors are calculated over a full calendar year. Where the project's monitoring period does not align with calendar year boundaries, the following flexibility applies:

• If the monitoring period falls entirely within a single calendar year, the emission factor may be calculated either for the exact monitoring period or for the full calendar year.

• If the monitoring period spans two calendar years, a separate emission factor shall be calculated for each calendar year, either based on the exact portion of the monitoring period falling within each year, or based on the full respective calendar years.

Temporal correlation. Where required by Article 4 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1184, Project Developers shall demonstrate temporal correlation between the consumption and generation of renewable electricity in accordance with the rules set out in Article 6 of that same Regulation, except where the derogation below applies.

Project Developers of new carbon capture facilities or biochar production facilities can apply annual temporal correlation, provided that a final investment decision has been made and construction has started no later than 31 December 2029.

This derogation applies until the earlier of the following:

• 31 December 2044, or

• The end of the first CRCF crediting period

Different electricity sources. Project Developers can choose different methods to calculate the electricity emission factor for different project sites and different electricity sources.

🇪🇺 CRCF emission factors for heat

The emission factor applied to heat inputs shall be determined according to the heat source, as follows:

• The emission factor is zero for heat

  • recovered from a process that is part of the project's activity;

  • generated from non-biomass renewable sources;

  • generated from nuclear energy production;

  • recovered from a process from which heat was not previously recovered until a maximum of three months prior to the start of the project's activity.

• Heat generated by combustion of fossil fuels. The emission factor shall be the lifecycle emission factor for fossil fuel supply and combustion, taken from the latest version of the Joint Research Centre's Definition of input data to assess GHG default emissions from biofuels in EU legislation, and divided by the thermal efficiency of the heat generation process.

• Heat generated from biomass, biofuel, bioliquid, or biomass fuel (Excluding own-heat consumption by a facility capturing CO₂ from biomass combustion for energy generation). The emission factor shall cover supply and combustion emissions, excluding CO₂ from combustion, of the relevant biomass-derived fuel, calculated in accordance with Annex VI of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), and divided by the thermal efficiency of the heat generation process.

• Heat recovered from an existing process, or from a new process coming into operation less than 6 months prior to the start of the project, and not directly related to the project. The emission factor shall be set to the EU ETS benchmark emission factor for heat.

• Heat supplied from a heat network. The emission factor shall be set to the EU ETS benchmark emission factor for heat.

• In the case of net heat export from the project, the emission factor shall be zero.

🇪🇺 CRCF emission factors for fossil fuel and material input

Emission factors can be taken either from the ecoinvent database or from the following hierarchical list, sourcing the emission factors from the first source in the list from which it is available and using, where available, the most recent version of the sources

• part B of the Annex to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1185;

• the most recent version of the Environmental Footprint datasets, or EF-compliant datasets;

• the Joint Research Centre's Definition of input data to assess GHG default emissions from biofuels in EU legislation;

• the JEC Well-to-Wheels report;

• the ecoinvent database, version 3.5 or a more recent version

• official sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Energy Agency (IEA), or government;

• other reviewed sources or peer-reviewed publications.

Emission factors shall cover all emissions linked to sourcing and delivering inputs up to the point of use. Where needed, emission factors shall be adjusted to remove any carbon contained in the input material itself. If that carbon is later released through processes within the activity, it shall be recorded as a direct emission source.

Example: Diesel use

Consider diesel consumed by machinery on site. The emission factor for diesel covers upstream emissions such as crude oil extraction, refining, and transport to the point of use. The carbon contained in the diesel itself is excluded from this factor. When diesel is combusted, the resulting CO₂ emissions are recorded separately as a direct emission source. Project Developers shall therefore apply two distinct emission factors: one for the upstream supply chain of diesel, and one for its combustion.

🇪🇺 CRCF requirement: Transportation, data sources

To model transport emissions, CRCF-projects shall only use the approaches

1. Energy-amount, and

2. Distance-based.

The energy efficiency approach cannot be used for the calculation of transport emissions by CRCF-projects.

CRCF-projects shall report the amount of energy used in the transportation infrastructure broken down by

• Amount of fuel combusted in stationary sources, per type of fuel

• Amount of fuel combusted in mobile sources, per type of fuel

• Net amount of electricity imported from the grid and consumed

Appendix

The table below presents a non-exhaustive selection of ecoinvent activities that may be used in the GHG reduction calculations for this module. Additional activities may be used for any project, if the following selection does not cover all relevant activities.

Table A1 List of ecoinvent 3.12 processes used in the GHG reduction quantification model, all processes are from the cutoff database

Input	Ecoinvent activity name
Diesel upstream emissions	market group for diesel, low-sulfur | diesel, low-sulfur | Cutoff, U, RER
Ethanol upstream emissions	ethanol, from fermentation, to market for ethanol, vehicle grade | ethanol, from fermentation, to market for ethanol, vehicle grade | Cutoff, U, RoW
Natural gas upstream emissions	market for natural gas, high pressure | natural gas, high pressure | Cutoff, U, RoW
Heavy Fuel Oil upstream emissions	market for heavy fuel oil l market for heavy fuel oil l Cutoff, U, RoW
Grid electricity	market group for electricity, medium voltage | electricity, medium voltage | Cutoff, U, RER
Solar electricity*	market for electricity, low voltage, renewable energy products | electricity, low voltage, renewable | Cutoff, U, CH
Truck Transport - light	transport, freight, lorry 3.5-7.5 metric ton, diesel, EURO 5 | transport, freight, lorry 3.5-7.5 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - medium	transport, freight, lorry 7.5-16 metric ton, diesel, EURO 5 | transport, freight, lorry 7.5-16 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - medium	transport, freight, lorry 16-32 metric ton, diesel, EURO 5 | transport, freight, lorry 16-32 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Truck Transport - heavy	transport, freight, lorry >32 metric ton, diesel, EURO 5 | transport, freight, lorry >32 metric ton, EURO5 | Cutoff, U, RER
Ship Transport - ferry	transport, freight, sea, ferry, heavy fuel oil | transport, freight, sea, ferry | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - container ship	transport, freight, sea, container ship, heavy fuel oil | transport, freight, sea, container ship | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - bulk carrier for dry goods	transport, freight, sea, bulk carrier for dry goods, heavy fuel oil| transport, freight, sea, bulk carrier for dry goods | Cutoff, U, GLO
Ship Transport - tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas	transport, freight, sea, tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas, heavy fuel oil | transport, freight, sea, tanker for liquid goods other than petroleum and liquefied natural gas | Cutoff, U, GLO

*If the solar plant is directly connected to the fuel station, emissions are assumed to be zero.

Appendix 2: Biofuel blends by country

Table A2 National biofuel policies in Europe per country from ePURE (2024)- Diesel blend.

Country	Biofuel in diesel fuel blend (%)
Europe average	5.9
Austria	6.3
Belgium	5.7
Bulgaria	6
France	9.2
Hungary	0.2
Latvia	6.5
Lithuania	6.2
Poland	5.2
Romania	6.5
Slovenia	6.9

Biofuel blends from other countries can be used if they come from reliable sources, and are approved by the Rainbow Certification Team and the VVB. If data for a specific European country is unavailable, the standard European biofuel percent may be used, which is conservatively estimated to be 4.8% of the diesel fuel blend.

Version history

Change	Justification	Date	Version changed
Create CRCF-specific requirements	Compliance with the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation (EU/2024/3012)	July 1st, 2026	V1.3 to V1.4
Change GHG quantification from ecoinvent v3.11 to v3.12	Using more recent version of database	January 21st, 2026	V1.2 to V1.3
Restructure sections: renamed Eligible technologies to Eligibility and scope, renamed Eligibility criteria to Principles & requirements, moved Monitoring Plan to Principles & requirements	Align with Standard Rules V7 structure	January 21st, 2026	V1.2 to V1.3
Change from BiCRS module to general module, remove BiCRS specific content	Make module more widely usable, e.g. for enhanced rock weathering and carbonation	September 10, 2025	V1.1 to V1.2
Change GHG quantification from ecoinvent v3.10 to v3.11	Using more recent version of database	June 5th, 2025	V1.0 to V1.1
First release of module	-	December 4th, 2024	V1