Major Emissions Database Handed Over to Watershed and Stanford Following EPA's Discontinuation of Updates
Watershed Launches Cornerstone Initiative to Enhance Sustainability Data Access
Watershed, a leading provider of environmental data solutions, has announced the launch of a new initiative called Cornerstone in partnership with Stanford University's Stanford Sustainable Solutions Lab. The purpose of this initiative is to preserve and expand access to foundational, open-source sustainability data, particularly for measuring Scope 3 (value chain) emissions.
According to Watershed, Cornerstone will act as the hub for open access to two of the most widely used models for value chain carbon accounting and policy research: the US EPA's USEEIO and Watershed's global CEDA. These models currently calculate around 65% of global Scope 3 corporate carbon measurements.
The new initiative will merge USEEIO and CEDA into a single global, open, multi-regional input-output model, managed by Cornerstone. This enhanced model is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and detail of Scope 3 emissions measurement by enabling more comprehensive environmental impact assessments, including air and water quality, water use, and waste generation — going beyond just greenhouse gas emissions.
The EPA has reportedly announced that it will no longer update the USEEIO database. Cornerstone aims to ensure ongoing development and open access to these crucial data tools, assisting thousands of organizations worldwide in Scope 3 carbon accounting and reporting.
Dr. Wesley Ingwersen, former EPA lead and architect of the USEEIO model, will serve as Technical Director for Cornerstone. Other leaders of the initiative will include Dr. Sangwon Suh, Head of Science at Watershed and developer of CEDA, and Dr. Steve Davis, Professor at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
The Stanford Sustainability Lab will support ongoing model development, while Watershed plans to onboard additional open-source contributors over time. Dr. Ingwersen was let go from the EPA in July after signing a letter asking Administrator Lee Zeldin to reconsider the new direction of the agency.
Christian Anderson, co-founder of Watershed, hopes the combined models will help companies and organizations build and maintain momentum on sustainability. Cornerstone's aim is to maintain and expand access to key datasets used by companies to measure Scope 3 value chain emissions.
In 2023, Watershed acquired environmental database provider VitalMetrics, which created CEDA. The company launched an open and free version of CEDA earlier this year. The merged model is expected to be completed in the coming months.
[1] Watershed. (n.d.). Cornerstone: Preserving and Expanding Access to Critical Sustainability Data. Retrieved from https://watershed.io/cornerstone
[2] Stanford University. (n.d.). Stanford Sustainable Solutions Lab. Retrieved from https://sustainablesolutions.stanford.edu/
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