Full definition
France’s reference emission factor database, managed by ADEME, free and publicly available. Since 2023, the historic Base Carbone has been integrated into Base Empreinte, which brings together more than 60,000 emission factors and inventory data (Base Carbone V23.6 version, July 2025): energy, transport, materials, purchases of goods and services, waste and food. It is the regulatory foundation for BEGES and the everyday working tool for Bilan Carbone assessments: choosing the right factor (and its version) directly determines the reliability of the result. Available for consultation, download and via API.
Key figures
- 60,000+emission factors and LCI data in ADEME’s Base Empreinte
- V23.6current Base Carbone version (July 2025), to be recorded in every BEGES for comparability between years
Questions and answers
Base Carbone, Base IMPACTS, Base Empreinte: which should you use?
Base Empreinte is now the single entry point: it absorbed Base Carbone (GHG emission factors, for Bilan Carbone® and BEGES) and Base IMPACTS (LCA data covering multiple criteria, for environmental labelling). Use Base Empreinte and record the version used.
Are ADEME emission factors legally enforceable?
For a mandatory BEGES, using factors from Base Empreinte is the standard approach expected by ADEME. Departing from it is possible (supplier factors, primary data) provided the source and method are documented, which is the approach taken by the best scope 3 inventories.