ESFC EmpCo Certification Scheme Rulebook
Version v0.5 (14 August 2026)
Under Working Group review
Becomes v1.0 upon Working Group approval, expected 21 August 2026.
Available from 21 August 2026ESFC EmpCo Transparency Portal
Public transparency portal for the European Sustainable Food Coalition's Environmental Assessment and Carbon Labeling Certification Scheme.
The ESFC EmpCo Certification Scheme — where EmpCo refers to Directive (EU) 2024/825 on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition — is a methodology-neutral framework under which accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) validate provider pathways and verify live claims. Scheme licences are issued by ESFC on the basis of the CAB's validation statement.
Target launch: 27 September 2026.
Under Working Group Review — v0.5 published for comment by 19 August 2026
Link will be added on 21 August 2026 upon Working Group approval.View Pathways
The Certification Scheme
The ESFC EmpCo Certification Scheme defines a normative floor that all certified pathways must meet: ISO 14067:2018 alignment at product level, a two-layer scientific review process, claim and label use rules, QA outcome requirements, and change management obligations. Provider pathways operate above this floor, with each provider declaring their specific choices on the variation surface (rating system, functional unit, LCI database, calculation engine, gap-filling logic).
Certification is conducted by an independent, accredited Conformity Assessment Body (CAB). ESFC issues the scheme licence on the basis of the CAB's validation statement. ESFC administers the scheme but does not perform conformity assessment.
ESFC EmpCo Scheme Use Fee Schedule
Version v0.2 (August 2026)
Under Working Group review
Covers annual scheme use fees for certified pathway providers. Subject to Working Group approval by 21 August 2026.
Available from 21 August 2026Key scheme features
Methodology-neutral
Any provider operating a food carbon footprint calculation system may apply. The scheme does not mandate a single calculation engine.
Two-layer scientific review
Layer 1: ISO 14067 framework alignment. Layer 2: 10 fixed scientific questions reviewed by the CAB.
CAB-validated
Conformity Assessment Bodies accredited under ISO/IEC 17029 + ISO 14065 conduct the validation and annual surveillance.
Trader binding
Certified providers must contractually bind their trader (operator) clients to scheme claim rules via Annex B pass-through clauses.
Change management
All methodology and database updates are classified (Major/Minor) and follow defined release and regression-testing obligations.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 aligned
Designed for compliance with Directive (EU) 2024/825 (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition), with claim wording rules, QR/URL disclosure requirements, and complaint routing built into the framework.
Registered Provider Pathways
Each organisation operating a food carbon labeling calculation system submits a Provider Pathway Registration (Annex A) declaring its specific choices within the scheme's variation surface. This document becomes a validated pathway upon the CAB's validation statement and ESFC licence decision. Both pathways below are currently in applicant status, preparing for the initial CAB validation engagement.
Applicant Pathway — Pre-Validation
Eaternity EOS (Environmental Operating System)
Eaternity AG · Zurich, Switzerland · eaternity.org
Registration version 1.6.2-draft · 6 August 2026
Overview & Declared Choices
Eaternity AG is the founding applicant pathway of the ESFC EmpCo Certification Scheme. The Eaternity EOS is a food carbon footprint calculation system covering climate, water, nutrition, animal welfare, and deforestation indicators. Under EmpCo, the climate-impact claim is the certified scope.
- Status
- Applicant pathway — pre-validation
- CAB engagement status
- CAB offer requested (RFP dispatched 29 July 2026)
- Pathway version
- 1.6.2-draft · 6 August 2026
| Dimension | Declaration |
|---|---|
| Functional unit | Daily Food Unit (DFU) — one day's food intake of a reference adult (~2,200 kcal) |
| LCI database | Eaternity Database (EDB) 2026.1-Alpha — UVEK/BAFU background data |
| Calculation engine | Environmental Operating System (EOS) — 27 gap-filling modules, matrix-based LCA |
| Rating system | A–E letter grades across 5 indicators; climate scope for EmpCo |
| Assurance modes | Individual Assurance (Eaternity Score) and Collective Assurance (Eaternity Gastro) |
| Product scope | Food service and retail recipes |
| Geographic scope | DACH region and broader European markets |
- System boundary
- Cradle-to-grave
- LCIA method
- EF 3.1 climate change (fossil / biogenic / LULUC sub-indicators)
- GWP characterisation factors
- EF 3.1 (IPCC AR6 generation)
- Gap-filling logic
- 27 modular gap-filling modules calibrated against PEFCRs and published LCA data
- ISO alignment
- Layer 1 (ISO 14067:2018) and Layer 2 (10-question scientific review)
Rating System & Benchmark (§1.5.1 · §10.5)
Scale and indicators
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Rating scale | A–E letter grades |
| Indicators in EOS | Climate (CO2), Water Scarcity, Vita-Score (Nutrition), Animal Welfare, Deforestation |
| EmpCo-certified scope | Climate (CO2) only — September 2026 release |
CO2 Climate thresholds (g CO2eq / Daily Food Unit)
| Rating | Threshold | vs. benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| A | ≤ 1,864 | 50% below benchmark — science-based target |
| B | ≤ 3,728 | At or below benchmark — average Swiss consumption |
| C | ≤ 7,456 | Up to 2× benchmark |
| D | ≤ 14,911 | Up to 4× benchmark |
| E | > 14,911 | Exceeds 4× benchmark |
Benchmark: 3,728 g CO2eq / DFU (consumption-weighted average, ~194,260 recipe observations across ~150 restaurants, Switzerland and EU, 2019–2021, updated March 2026)
Water Scarcity thresholds (L scarce water eq / DFU) — operational, not in EmpCo scope
| Rating | Threshold |
|---|---|
| A | ≤ 109.56 |
| B | ≤ 219.12 |
| C | ≤ 438.23 |
| D | ≤ 1,267.58 |
| E | > 1,267.58 |
Benchmark: 109.56 L scarce water eq / DFU (~194,260 observations)
Vita-Score / Nutrition thresholds (points / DFU) — operational, not in EmpCo scope
| Rating | Threshold |
|---|---|
| A | ≤ 270 |
| B | ≤ 340 |
| C | ≤ 410 |
| D | ≤ 450 |
| E | > 450 |
Benchmark: 336 points / DFU (FU-weighted, 6,067 recipes). Note: lower Vita-Score = better nutrition (inverts Nutri-Score direction).
Benchmark methodology
CO2 and Water thresholds are derived from the consumption-weighted benchmark using fixed multipliers (A = 0.5×, B = 1.0×, C = 2.0×, D = 4.0×). Vita-Score thresholds are derived from FU-weighted percentiles (A ≈ P10, B ≈ P50, C = P80, D = P90). The DFU is a standardised daily reference unit: DFU = average(protein/50g, fat/66g, energy/6,000kJ, water/2,500g, dry_weight/600g).
2026-03 threshold revision — previous vs. current values
| Parameter | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark / B | 3,894 | 3,728 | −4.3% |
| A ≤ | 1,947 | 1,864 | −4.3% |
| C ≤ | 7,788 | 7,456 | −4.3% |
| D ≤ | 15,576 | 14,911 | −4.3% |
| Parameter | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark / A ≤ | 91.57 | 109.56 | +19.6% |
| B ≤ | 183.13 | 219.12 | +19.6% |
| C ≤ | 366.26 | 438.23 | +19.6% |
| D ≤ | 1,059.42 | 1,267.58 | +19.6% |
| Parameter | Previous | Current | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | 340 | 336 | −1.2% |
| A ≤ | 280 | 270 | −3.6% |
| B ≤ | 340 | 340 | — |
| C ≤ | 420 | 410 | −2.4% |
| D ≤ | 468 | 450 | −3.8% |
Benchmark update history
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | CO2 benchmark revised: 3,894 → 3,728 g CO2eq/DFU (−4.3%); all CO2 thresholds revised proportionally. Sample: 194,260 recipe observations. |
| Mar 2026 | Water benchmark revised: 91.57 → 109.56 L/DFU (+19.6%) due to improved water imputation. All water thresholds revised proportionally. |
| Mar 2026 | Vita-Score thresholds recalculated from FU-weighted percentiles (6,067 recipes): A≤270, C≤410, D≤450. |
| Jul 2024 | Vita-Score recalculated with updated dataset (24,540 recipes). |
| Aug 2022 | Water scarcity benchmarks updated with 3-year data. |
| May 2021 | CO2 benchmark established: 797.45 g CO2/FU (initial). |
Water Scarcity and Vita-Score (Nutrition) are operationally supported by Eaternity EOS but are not in the EmpCo-certified claim scope for the September 2026 release. A rating of C represents average performance relative to the benchmark; A represents a science-based target.
Compliance & Quality Assurance (§1.5.1 · §7.2)
- Layer 1 review route
- Route B (CAB conducts full Layer 1 review during validation)
- Layer 2 review status
- Route B (full CAB review — no prior independent review submitted)
- Evidence file format
- Version-pinned per assessment in the evidence file
- Quality assurance
- Hybrid expert review + validated automated pipeline; CI regression suite on every release
- Independent verification
- Orchestrator — nightly parity check that independently recomputes EOS outputs using Brightway2 and verifies agreement with the production system. Results published at eaternity.eaternity-eos.com/orchestrator
Methodology Version (§1.5.1 · §12.8)
| Component | Current version | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Calculation engine | EOS — applicant pre-release | In validation preparation |
| LCI database | Eaternity Database (EDB) 2026.1-Alpha | June 2026 |
| Previous database version | EDB 2026.0 | January 2026 |
| Gap-filling modules | 27 modules — calibrated against PEFCRs | As above |
Production deployment of EDB 2026.1 (UVEK/BAFU background data) is planned ahead of the CAB validation engagement. Version is pinned per assessment in the evidence file.
Database Changelog (§1.6.1 · §12.8)
| Release | Date | Classification | Products affected | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDB 2026.1 | 23 Jul 2026 | Minor | 2,234 / 2,331 (96%) | Switched all background processes from proprietary ecoinvent-based LCI database to UVEK/BAFU (LCI Workbench, public data basis). Previous ecoinvent-based values not published (proprietary licence). UVEK/BAFU values for EDB 2026.1 published in full. |
| EDB 2026.0 | Jan 2026 | Base version | — | Initial EDB version registered for the EmpCo pilot. Regression suite run on this version (Jun 2026 — see Regression Test Suite accordion). |
Pre-certification version history — published for transparency. Certified release changelog will appear here upon CAB validation.
The 97 unchanged products had identical values under both the proprietary and public database sources. Full product-level data for EDB 2026.1 is available to the Conformity Assessment Body on request. Certified releases will be classified as Major, Minor, or Non-substantive per Rulebook §12.8. A Major change (>2% rating shift across >5% of items) requires CAB pre-approval before deployment.
Regression Test Suite (§1.6.1 · §12.5)
Pre-certification validation data — published for transparency. Certified release results will replace this section upon completion of the CAB validation engagement.
Suite specification
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Suite size | 600 items |
| Cases | 3 (caterer, label_retail, full_specification) |
| Scope | Rating stability and CO2 reproducibility across cases |
| Run date | 13 June 2026 |
| Published | 7 July 2026 |
| EDB version tested | EDB 2026.0 |
Results — EDB 2026.0 (pre-certification run)
| Case | Total items | Passed | Failed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterer | 250 | 250 | 0 |
| Label / Retail | 200 | 197 | 3 |
| Full Specification | 150 | 150 | 0 |
| Total | 600 | 597 | 3 |
Materiality assessment
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Items outside tolerance | 3 / 600 = 0.5% |
| Rulebook threshold (§12.5) | ≤ 2% may change rating |
| Result | PASS — below materiality threshold |
Rating distribution across suite
| Rating | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A | 241 | 40% |
| B | 182 | 30% |
| C | 110 | 18% |
| D | 36 | 6% |
| E | 28 | 5% |
CO2 statistics across suite (g CO2 / Food Unit)
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Median | 154 g/FU |
| Mean | 376 g/FU |
| Range | 0 – 6,755 g/FU |
The 3 items outside tolerance are in the label_retail case. Full item-level results are available to the Conformity Assessment Body on request.
Trader Register (§1.6.2 · §8.4)
Individual Assurance traders
Active:—
Suspended:—
Terminated:—
(Individually listed by name upon certification)
Collective Assurance traders
Active:—
Suspended:—
Terminated:—
(Aggregate counts; individual listing on opt-in basis)
- Assurance modes supported
- Individual Assurance and Collective Assurance
- Status confirmation
- compliance@eaternity.ch
Trader register goes live upon completion of the CAB validation engagement and ESFC licence decision.
Contacts (§1.6.1 · §4.3)
- Technical
- tech-support@eaternity.ch
- Commercial
- mail@eaternity.org
- Compliance / CAB liaison
- compliance@eaternity.ch
- Trader register
- [Placeholder — will appear upon certification]
- Transparency portal entry
- [Placeholder — assigned upon certification]
Full registration document will be linked upon Rulebook v1.0 approval on 21 August 2026
Applicant Pathway — Pre-Validation
Klimato Carbon Labeling
Klimato AB · Stockholm, Sweden · klimato.com
Registration version 0.2-draft · 10 August 2026
Overview & Declared Choices
Klimato AB provides a food carbon labeling system for on-menu recipes in the food service sector. The Klimato Carbon Labeling pathway calculates the climate impact of recipes and assigns an A–E rating aligned with Paris Agreement science. The pathway uses Klimato's proprietary Food Carbon Footprint Database, which has been reviewed by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and the WRI Coolfood initiative.
- Status
- Applicant pathway — pre-validation
- CAB engagement status
- CAB offer requested
- Pathway version
- 0.2-draft · 10 August 2026
| Dimension | Declaration |
|---|---|
| Functional unit | kg CO2e per serving (food service) or per 100g / 400g (retail); 400g normalized for rating |
| LCI database | Klimato Food Carbon Footprint Database (Mothership v2.9, 4,000+ ingredients, 20,000+ variations) |
| Calculation engine | Klimato Carbon Labeling v1.0 — deterministic summation: CF_recipe = Σ EF_i × Q_i |
| Rating system | A–E letter grades with traffic-light colour coding |
| Assurance mode | Collective Assurance (pilot) |
| Product scope | On-menu recipes (food service); ~4,500 recipes across pilot participants |
| Geographic scope | Sweden and Spain (current traders); expanding as additional traders onboard |
- System boundary
- Cradle to regional distribution centre (food preparation and consumer use excluded)
- LCIA method
- GWP100 characterisation factors (IPCC AR4/AR5/AR6 depending on source study vintage — documented in evidence file)
- GWP characterisation factors
- Mixed vintage (AR4/AR5/AR6 per source study); convergence to AR6 under the 2028 Rulebook deadline
- Gap-filling logic
- Four-step fallback hierarchy: exact ingredient + origin match → global production-weighted average → category average → conservative proxy
- ISO alignment
- Layer 1 (ISO 14067:2018) and Layer 2 (10-question scientific review)
Rating System & Benchmark (§1.5.1 · §10.5)
Rating thresholds (kg CO2e per 400g)
| Grade | Threshold | Scientific basis |
|---|---|---|
| A — Very Low | < 0.40 | Paris Agreement well-below-2°C food budget (72% reduction vs. 2015 by 2050) |
| B — Low | 0.40–0.90 | WRI Coolfood Meal standard (38% reduction by 2030) |
| C — Medium | 0.90–1.80 | TCRE metric at 2.5°C warming (2050) |
| D — High | 1.80–2.60 | TCRE metric at 3°C warming (2050) |
| E — Very High | ≥ 2.60 | Exceeds 3°C TCRE threshold |
- Benchmark
- 1.5 kg CO2e per meal (average European diet, 2015 — FAO Food Balance Sheets)
- Benchmark geographic scope
- Europe (2015 data); applied globally; limitation acknowledged
- Regression test suite
- 300 recipes spanning ≥80% of ingredient categories
- Regression test results
- [Available upon certification]
- Database changelog
- [Available upon certification]
Compliance & Quality Assurance (§1.5.1 · §7.2)
- Layer 1 review route
- Route B (CAB conducts full Layer 1 review during validation)
- Layer 2 review status
- Route C (partial existing review by Bureau Veritas Solutions Denmark — Q1–Q3 formally recognised by ESFC; Q4–Q8 to be completed by CAB)
- Existing reviews
- Bureau Veritas Solutions Denmark (ref. 20250811); WRI/Coolfood Certification (February 2025)
- Evidence file format
- JSON (recipe ID, ingredient IDs, quantities, CF values, database version)
- Quality assurance
- Deterministic engine; outlier detection (>30 kg CO2e ceiling / <0.02 kg CO2e floor); 300-recipe regression suite
Methodology Version (§1.5.1 · §12.8)
| Component | Current version | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Calculation engine | Klimato Carbon Labeling v1.0 | August 2026 |
| LCI database | Klimato Food Carbon Footprint Database (Mothership v2.9) | 7 August 2026 |
| Coverage | 4,000+ food ingredients; 20,000+ production variations | — |
| Update cadence | Annual (typically Q1) | Next: Q1 2027 (LSRS alignment) |
Database version is documented in the evidence file for each assessed recipe. A Major database methodology update is expected Q1 2027 aligned with LSRS. Version is pinned per assessment in the evidence file.
Database Changelog (§1.6.1 · §12.8)
| Release | Date | Classification | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mothership v2.9 | 7 August 2026 | Pre-certification (initial) | First version registered with ESFC for the EmpCo pilot. |
Full certified release changelog will be published here upon completion of the initial CAB validation engagement (§12.8). A database update is classified as Major if it shifts more than 5% of active recipes by more than 10%; smaller updates are Minor.
Regression Test Suite (§1.6.1 · §12.5)
Suite specification
Size:300 recipes
Coverage:≥80% of ingredient/product categories in the Klimato database taxonomy (33 declared ingredient categories)
Borderline cases:capped at ≤15% of suite
Access:Available to the CAB on request; pass/fail status published here per release
Certified release results
No certified releases yet.
Pass/fail status will be published here for each release following the initial CAB validation engagement.
Trader Register (§1.6.2 · §8.4)
Collective Assurance traders
Active:—
Suspended:—
Terminated:—
(Aggregate counts published; individual listing on opt-in basis)
- Assurance mode supported
- Collective Assurance (pilot)
- Status confirmation
- gioia@klimato.com
- Aggregate statistics (upon certification)
- klimato.com/science-and-data
Trader register goes live upon completion of the CAB validation engagement and ESFC licence decision.
Contacts (§1.6.1 · §4.3)
- All contacts (Gioia Zagni, Chief Science Officer)
- gioia@klimato.com
- Public website
- klimato.com
- Trader register
- [Placeholder — will link to klimato.com/science-and-data upon certification]
- Transparency portal entry
- [Placeholder — assigned upon certification]
Full registration document will be linked upon Rulebook v1.0 approval on 21 August 2026
Are you an ESFC member operating a food carbon labeling system? You may submit a Provider Pathway Registration following the Annex A template. Contact: info@esf-coalition.org
Certification Status
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Scheme Rulebook | v0.5 — under Working Group review |
| Working Group approval expected | 21 August 2026 |
| CAB engagement | CAB offers requested from accredited bodies |
| First certification target | 27 September 2026 |
| Scheme licence authority | ESFC (European Sustainable Food Coalition) |
| CAB standard | ISO/IEC 17029 + ISO 14065 (ISO 14067 product scope) |
ESFC issues scheme licences on the basis of the Conformity Assessment Body's validation statement. No certified pathways have yet been issued. Certification status will be updated on this page upon conclusion of the first CAB validation engagement.
Are you a Conformity Assessment Body?
The scheme is anchored on ISO/IEC 17029 + ISO 14065 validation/verification, with ISO 14067:2018 product scope. Expressions of interest from accredited CABs are welcome. Contact: info@esf-coalition.org
Complaints and Feedback
Any party with a legitimate interest may submit feedback or file a formal complaint about an environmental assessment claim made under the ESFC EmpCo Scheme. Complaints are acknowledged within 5 business days and resolved within 30 calendar days.
Contact: info@esf-coalition.org — subject line: "EmpCo Complaint" or "EmpCo Feedback"
| Step | Action | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acknowledgement of receipt | 5 business days |
| 2 | Initial assessment and classification | 10 business days |
| 3 | Investigation | 20 business days |
| 4 | Response with findings | 30 calendar days |
| 5 | Corrective actions (if applicable) | Per Rulebook §11 |
| 6 | Final closure notification | 10 business days |
Note: Individual complaint records are confidential. Anonymised complaint statistics will be published in the annual stakeholder report.
Claim-specific complaints
Complaints about specific labeling claims should reference the relevant provider pathway (Eaternity EOS or Klimato Carbon Labeling) and include the product or recipe name, the claimed rating, and the date the claim was made.
Working Group Consultation
Major scheme changes require Working Group consultation before adoption. The ESFC EmpCo Working Group reviews proposed changes and provides feedback within defined comment windows.
Open for comment — Rulebook v0.5
Comment window open until 19 August 2026. If no further comments are received, v0.5 becomes v1.0 and is considered approved by the Working Group. Formal Working Group approval is scheduled for 21 August 2026. Submit comments to: info@esf-coalition.org — subject: "EmpCo Rulebook v0.5 Comment"
Version history
| Version | Date | Type | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| v0.5 | 14 Aug 2026 | Major | AR6 GWP characterisation factor requirements (§5.5), digital access QR/URL requirements (§10.8), Layer 2 Q9 (biogenic carbon) and Q10 (LCA aggregation), Q11 (data quality assessment), updated benchmark representativeness requirements (§6), two applicant pathway registrations |
| v0.4 | 29 Jul 2026 | Major | Consolidated scheme structure, trader binding clauses (Annex B), CAB framework, claim wording rules |
| v0.3 | Jun 2026 | Major | Two-layer scientific review process, provider pathway template (Annex A) |
| v0.2 | Apr 2026 | Major | Scheme structure, fee schedule |
| v0.1 | Feb 2026 | Initial | Initial draft for Working Group review |