The Reap Software Portfolio
Existing Reap Users
Methodology and Data
SEI's methodology takes the national carbon dioxide accounts which are broken down by industrial sector and uses input-output analysis to disaggregate the data down to final demand. This produces ‘conversion factors' which enable the impact in tonnes of carbon dioxide to be calculated for each pound (sterling) spent on any consumption category.
In summary this means that if we know what money is spent on different products or services, using a series of input-output tables we can convert it to a measure of CO2.
The input-output tables show the purchases made by each sector of the economy in order to produce their own ‘output', including purchases of imported commodities as well as the consumption of products and services by other sectors.
The conversion factors associated with each product reveal the full environmental impact along the complete supply chain of manufacture. For example, a unit spend on a travel hairdryer will sum the CO2 associated with the assembly and manufacturing of the product, the drilling of the oil to produce the plastic, the manufacturing of the machinery used to drill the oil, and so on.
The use of REAP in Scotland has been reviewed by the EPSRC ISSUES Project who look at urban sustainability.
"The Sustainable Urban Environments Programme is an EPSRC funded portfolio of research looking at ways of improving sustainability in the urban environment." (taken from www.urbansustainabilityexchange.org.uk, July 2010)
The full report titled "The Process of Knowledge Transfer from Researcher and Policy Maker to End-User" provides an analysis of the footprinting work done in Scotland and the use of REAP by Scottish Local Authorities. It is available here.
REAP Version 2
Please contact us to get your latest copy of REAP. Read the full news article by clicking more below to find out about the updates and what the type of licence you require.
See the REAP pages for details about licence costs and training packages.
REAP Petite has been updated and improved.
To download a free copy click here
If you are a license holder, contact SEI to get your new version.
SEI have just released a policy brief on Scotland's Footprint.
Our study has shown that Scotland's carbon footprint has grown by 11 per cent since 1992.
The figure includes greenhouse gases released overseas during the production of goods later consumed in Scotland and so is the most accurate gauge of the country's emissions to date.
While emissions generated in Scotland fell by 13 percent between 1995 and 2004, when trade is taken account, greenhouse gases rose by 11 per cent over the same period.
The full policy brief can be found on SEI's website.
An article has also be published in the Sunday Herald and can be found here.