San Francisco, Aug. 12 – Climate solutions provider Watershed has launched the Cornerstone initiative in partnership with Stanford University’s Stanford Sustainable Solutions Lab to safeguard and expand open access to the world’s most widely used Scope 3 carbon accounting models.

Cornerstone will host and maintain the US Environmentally-Extended Input-Output model (USEEIO), developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Comprehensive Environmental Data Archive (CEDA), created by VitalMetrics and acquired by Watershed in 2023. Together, the models underpin about 65% of Scope 3 corporate carbon measurements globally, according to CDP data.

The two datasets will merge into a single global open multi-regional input-output model to improve Scope 3 emissions accuracy and broaden environmental impact assessments to include regional air and water quality, water use, and waste generation.

The research arm of the initiative will be led by Dr. Steve Davis, professor at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, who will direct applications of the model for energy and food system sustainability research.

Cornerstone’s leadership team includes former EPA USEEIO architect Dr. Wesley Ingwersen as Technical Director, CEDA developer and Watershed Head of Science Dr. Sangwon Suh, and Davis as Technical Advisor. Ingwersen, who left the EPA in July after opposing agency policy changes, will guide technical strategy.

Beyond model integration, Cornerstone will cultivate a global researcher network and offer education on using Environmentally Extended Input-Output (EEIO) data for corporate sustainability and policy analysis.

Source:

https://esgnews.com/watershed-stanford-launch-cornerstone-to-protect-and-expand-global-scope-3-carbon-data/