Providing accurate emissions data for your products is essential for your EU customers to meet their CBAM compliance obligations. With kolum, you can enter this data directly, including your Specific Embedded Free Allocation, ensuring it is instantly available, correctly linked, and ready for your customer to use in their CBAM cost calculation and compliance export. Using kolum to enter emissions data directly keeps your workflow clean, removes the need for emailing spreadsheets, and strengthens trust with your customers by showing your commitment to transparency and data quality.

Reporting Timeframe. After you select a buyer, choose the Reporting Timeframe the data applies to. The currently running forecast timeframe is selectable and selected by default, and the data you see is scoped to it.

Why This Matters

When you provide emissions data directly in kolum:

Your EU customer can seamlessly use your actual values for their CBAM reporting, avoiding higher default assumptions.
Your Specific Embedded Free Allocation lowers the certificates your customer has to surrender. Using your actual value instead of the system default can materially reduce their CBAM cost.
Data is connected automatically to the articles your customer has linked to you, ensuring clear traceability.
You save time by skipping manual back-and-forth and ensure your data is always up to date. Providing emissions data directly not only supports your customer's compliance needs but also positions you as a reliable and transparent partner.

Understanding Specific Embedded Free Allocation

Under CBAM, EU importers receive a free allocation that offsets part of the embedded emissions they would otherwise have to pay certificates for. If you don't submit a value, kolum falls back to a default free allocation calculated from the default benchmark for your good and the CBAM phase-in factor. When you submit your Actual Specific Embedded Free Allocation (tCO₂e/t), that value replaces the default in your customer's CBAM cost calculation, which usually lowers their cost. Submit a single, already-aggregated value per emission data entry. Any precursor roll-up should be done on your side before submission.

Before You Start

Have these values ready for each product:

Specific Embedded Direct Emissions (tCO₂e/t): emissions directly caused by production.
Inputs used to derive your Specific Embedded Indirect Emissions: Source of Electricity, Emission Factor (tCO₂e/MWh), and Electricity Consumed (MWh/t). kolum calculates the indirect emissions value from these inputs.
Specific Embedded Free Allocation (tCO₂e/t): your actual free allocation entitlement per tonne of product, calculated as Actual Benchmark × CBAM Factor, already aggregated across any precursors.

Also make sure your kolum account is set up and you are logged in. If you are unsure about any data fields, such as the applicable production route, confirm with your customer.

Step-by-Step: How to Provide Emission Data

Log In and Navigate to Buyers. After logging into your kolum account, go to Buyers from the left-hand menu. Here you will see a list of all your EU customers who have connected with you.
Select Your Buyer. Click on the buyer's name to view the articles your customer has linked to you. These are the products for which they need your emissions data.
Review the Articles Table. You will see a table listing all the articles connected to you, with the following columns: Name, CN Code, Country of Origin, Specific Embedded Direct Emissions (tCO₂e/t), Specific Embedded Indirect Emissions (tCO₂e/t), Specific Embedded Free Allocation (tCO₂e/t), Status, and Provide Data. Each row carries a Status badge indicating what action is needed:
- Data Requested: your customer is waiting for an initial submission.
- Unsubmitted: a draft entry exists but has not been submitted yet.
- Update Requested: your customer has asked for an update or clarification.
- Submitted: your data has been submitted and is available to your customer. If you have submitted more than one entry for the same article (for example, two production facilities serving the same CN code), the emissions cells display a label such as 2 emissions provided instead of a single number.
Open the Entry Panel. In the Provide Data column, click the action button on the right of each row. The label depends on the row's current status:
- Provide Emission Data for articles with no submission yet.
- Update Emission Data for articles where an update has been requested.
- Manage Emission Data for articles you have already submitted. This opens the Provide Emission Data panel where you can enter or edit the required information.
Fill In Emission Data. The panel is organised into four sections.
- Entry details
  - Product Source (required): choose whether the goods were produced by your own production facility or sourced elsewhere.
  - Production Facility (required): select the facility where production took place.
  - Country of Origin (required): where the product was produced.
  - Production Route (required): select the relevant route, such as Blast Furnace or Electric Arc Furnace. The list only shows the routes permitted for the article's CN code, so you can't pick a route CBAM doesn't allow for that good. (This field was previously labelled "Production Method".)
- Volume. If you are not producing all of the goods yourself, indicate the portion of the delivery (in volume) to which this emission data applies.
  - Volume (required): numeric quantity.
  - Unit (required): Tonnes.
- Specific Embedded Direct Emissions
  - Specific Embedded Direct Emissions (tCO₂e/t) (required): emissions directly caused by production.
- Specific Embedded Indirect Emissions. You do not enter the indirect emissions value directly. kolum calculates it from the inputs you provide:
  - Source of Electricity: for example, "Direct technical link to electricity generator".
  - Emission Factor (tCO₂e/MWh) (required).
  - Electricity Consumed (MWh/t) (required). The resulting Specific Embedded Indirect Emissions (tCO₂e/t) is shown as a calculated value below these inputs.
- Specific Embedded Free Allocation
  - Specific Embedded Free Allocation (tCO₂e/t) (required): your actual free allocation per tonne of product. This field is required for every new emission data entry.
The form accepts numeric input only and uses a comma (,) as the decimal separator. If the free allocation field is left empty, you will see a validation error and the entry cannot be saved. Take a moment to double-check your entries for accuracy.
Save the Entry. When you have completed the fields for this source of supply, click Save. The entry is stored against the article in an Unsubmitted state. Saving does not yet share the data with your buyer; it simply records this particular entry so you can come back to it or add more entries alongside it.
Add More Entries if the Supply Comes From Multiple Sources. A single article under one CN code can be supplied from more than one origin, facility, or production route. For example, part of the delivery may come from Algeria and the rest from China, or the same product may be produced at two different facilities with different emissions profiles. If that is the case, repeat steps 4 to 6 for each portion of the delivery: open the panel again from Provide Emission Data, fill in the country, facility, production route, volume, emissions, and free allocation for that source, and save. Each save creates a separate entry against the same article. The Articles table reflects this on the row for the article: once more than one entry exists, the emissions cells display a label such as 2 emissions provided instead of a single value, and the Country of Origin column shows the relevant country flags side by side.
Submit the Data to Your Buyer. Once all entries for the article are complete and the volumes line up with the delivery, submit the data to your buyer. kolum will then:
- Notify your EU customer that you have provided emissions data.
- Link your entries, including the Specific Embedded Free Allocation values, directly to the relevant article on your customer's side.
- Move the row's status from Unsubmitted to Submitted, and change the action button to Manage Emission Data so you can revise or add to your submission later. Your customer can then review, accept, or request updates if clarification is needed.

Tips for Successful Data Entry

Double-check your data: ensure values are accurate before submitting to avoid delays or rework. Your free allocation directly affects your customer's CBAM cost calculation.
Submit an actual free allocation whenever you can: without your value, the EU side falls back to the default free allocation, which is typically lower and results in a higher CBAM cost for your customer.
Aggregate before submitting: the free allocation field expects a single, pre-aggregated value per emission data entry. Roll up precursor contributions on your side before entering.
Keep it updated: if your emissions or free allocation values change, you can edit and re-submit. Your customer will be notified of updates automatically.
Ask for clarification: if you are unsure about the production route, the source of electricity classification, or the emissions scope to report, confirm with your customer before submitting.

Benefits of Using kolum for Direct Entry

Removes the need to manage spreadsheets or emails for emissions reporting.
Ensures your free allocation flows straight into your customer's CBAM cost calculation and compliance export, with no manual transcription on their side.
Data remains organized, traceable, and linked directly to your buyer's reporting system.
Strengthens your partnership with EU customers by providing transparent, high-quality emissions and free allocation data.

What Happens Next

Once submitted:

Your emissions data and Specific Embedded Free Allocation appear in your customer's kolum environment, connected to the relevant articles.
Your customer's CBAM cost dashboard and compliance export use your Actual Specific Embedded Free Allocation in place of the default. Where no value has been submitted, the system continues to fall back to the default free allocation.
You continue to have access to your data within kolum and can manage it from the Manage Emission Data action on each submitted row.

Using kolum to provide emissions data directly, including your free allocation, helps you support your customers' CBAM compliance while keeping your own workflow clean, clear, and efficient. Start using direct data entry today to simplify your reporting process and strengthen your business relationships.

What's new

The Production Route field in the Provide Emission Data panel now only lists the routes CBAM permits for the article's CN code, so you can no longer pick a route that does not apply to that good.

Provide Emission Data Directly with kolum