Carbon Intensity
Carbon intensity is a measure of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of output, such as emissions per unit of electricity generated, per euro of revenue, or per unit of product manufactured.
Definition
Carbon intensity expresses emissions relative to a unit of activity or output — for example, grams of CO2e per kWh of electricity generated (grid carbon intensity), or tonnes of CO2e per unit of revenue or production. Unlike an absolute carbon footprint, intensity metrics allow fairer comparison across organisations or time periods of different sizes, since they normalise for scale.
Why It Matters
Absolute emissions figures can rise even as an organisation becomes more efficient, simply because it's grown — intensity metrics separate genuine efficiency improvement from scale effects, which matters for credible progress reporting.
How ecolyptus Helps
ecolyptus can express emissions data as intensity metrics (e.g., per site, per square metre, per unit of output where available) alongside absolute figures.