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Core Concepts

Welcome to the Core Concepts guide. This article covers the most important terms and concepts you'll encounter while using BeWo. Understanding these concepts will help you navigate the platform effectively and make the most of its features.

Organizations​

In BeWo, Organizations represent your company's legal entities. Each organization includes details like registration number and country. You can set up an organizational hierarchy by adding subsidiaries to parent companies. All calculations are linked to specific organizations, ensuring accurate attribution of emissions data.

Facilities​

Facilities are individual locations within your organization, such as offices, warehouses, or other types. Each facility has a specific address, which can enhance calculation accuracy. Certain calculations—like electricity, heating, and fuel combustion—can be linked to specific facilities to better represent where the emissions occurred.

Reporting Years​

Reporting years determine the time periods for which you collect and analyze data. They should always align with your annual financial reporting periods, which may not necessarily be the calendar year. All calculations are attached to specific reporting years, and emissions are allocated accordingly.

  • Note: A calculation cannot overlap multiple reporting years, ensuring that CO2e emissions are accurately assigned to a specific period.

Financial Accounts​

Financial accounts help filter the relevant ERP data for emissions calculations. Generally, you should include all expense accounts that impact your carbon footprint. Once you enable a financial account, BeWo includes all the vouchers from that account in a reporting year.

  • Tip: Carefully review which accounts you include, as this directly affects the accuracy and relevance of your emissions data.

👉 Learn more: Choosing Financial Accounts

Vouchers​

A voucher refers to one or more financial transactions grouped together. Vouchers help BeWo control and relate lines to a purchase. If new financial transactions are added to a voucher, it affects the number of calculation lines. Vouchers may have one or more lines. If a credit note is added later, we adjust the calculation to ensure accuracy.

Example: A voucher could include:

  • 1 × Product A
  • 2 × Product B
  • Installation Service
  • Freight & Shipping

From an integration perspective, all calculations are controlled by a voucher number.

Lines​

A line is a single CO2e calculation. In ERP-based data, lines are grouped by vouchers to maintain reference to the group of lines. Each line contains detailed information, such as:

  • Category
  • Estimation Approach
  • Type
  • Label
  • Value
  • kg CO2e
  • Vendor
  • Documents
  • Period / Date
  • Comment
  • Review Status

Lines can also have metadata like:

  • Dimensions
  • Voucher Number
  • Transaction Number

CO2e Calculation​

CO2e calculations are at the core of BeWo's functionality. We calculate emissions using data from your ERP system, applying various estimation approaches to ensure accuracy.

  • Estimation Approaches:
    • Supplier-Based
    • Product-Based
    • Activity-Based
    • Spend-Based

👉 Learn more: World-Class CO2e Calculations

Categories​

Categories represent different activities or sources you can report on, aligning with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Each category has specific types attached to it, helping you organize emissions data effectively.

👉 Learn more: Scopes Overview

Types​

Types are linked to different emission factors used in CO2e calculations. Each type corresponds to a specific activity or product and is connected to an emission factor database.

Examples:

  • Electricity (Location-Based)
  • Passenger Flight (Economy Class)
  • Aluminum (Primary)

Units​

Each calculation references a unit related to the activity (e.g., kWh, kg, liters, pieces) or spend (e.g., EUR, USD, DKK). For supplier-based calculations, the reference unit can be the CO2e value itself. We always link a value and unit when converting into kg CO2e.

Labels​

Labels are text identifiers that describe what has been purchased. We use labels to determine which type an item refers to. Labels are extracted from purchase invoice lines, financial entries, and other documents.

  • Example: If a label says "Diesel - 60 liters at Gas Station" we can classify it under the type "Diesel"

kg CO2e​

kg CO2e represents the calculated kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for a given line. It's a standardized metric for comparing emissions across different activities and sources.

Vendor​

Vendors are identified from the ERP system through purchase invoices or by extracting vendor information from documents. Knowing the vendor helps analyze supply chain emissions and engage with suppliers on sustainability initiatives.

Documents​

Documents are links to evidence supporting the calculation, such as invoices, receipts, or bills. They enhance auditability and transparency.

Data Document Types include:

  • Purchase Invoices
  • Receipts
  • Bills (Heating, Electricity, Water, Gas)

Processing Status​

The Processing Status shows where a line is in the calculation and review process:

  • Waiting for Processing: Data is queued and will be processed by the AI soon.
  • Ready: Data is ready for review; no errors or warnings were found.
  • Posted: Data has been reviewed and posted for reporting purposes.
  • Warning: The AI is unsure about the results; requires user attention.
  • Errors: Issues occurred during processing, such as missing values or corrupted documents; often due to incorrect ERP entries.

👉 Learn more: Data Pipeline

Emission Factor Database​

Calculations reference an Emission Factor Database, which ensures that emissions are calculated using standardized and recognized factors.

Properties of the Database:

  • Authority: The organization that issues the database.
  • Database Version: The specific year or version.
  • Link to Database: A public URL where the database can be accessed.

These databases are suitable for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, ensuring calculations align with international standards.

Need Help?​

If you have any questions or need assistance, our support team is here to help.

👉 Contact Support: Support Page

By familiarizing yourself with these core concepts, you're well on your way to efficiently managing your carbon accounting and sustainability efforts with BeWo.