By September, 2026, the GFLI offers a FLAG-aligned database for members and users to meet the Green House Gas Protocol Land Sector Removals Standard, which is the underlying standard for the Science-Based Targets Initiative’s Forest, Land, and Agriculture Guidance.
These standards rely upon some deviations from the European Commission’s PEF standard, of which the GFLI has been aligned with since its creation. Due to the high interest by GFLI members and feed companies to be able to make Science-Based Targets for emission reductions, this FLAG-aligned database was produced.
What is the FLAG-aligned database?
This version of the database consists of the Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) breakdown and its non-FLAG emissions. This allows full alignment with GHG protocol: Land Sector and Removals Standard.
The major difference between the PEF and FLAG version is the different breakdown of emissions:
- FLAG Land-use change (LUC) — CO₂ from land conversion (direct LUC, 20-yr amortisation) + peat oxidation
- FLAG Land management — non-CO₂ — N₂O, CH₄, NH₃ & NOₓ from soils & manure, plus CO₂ from lime & urea
- FLAG Crop production (upstream) — input of fertilizer & pesticide production, energy, transport, etc.
- non-FLAG Removal— fossil energy for processing — drying, milling, extraction
- FLAG Land management — net CO₂ — net soil-carbon (SOC) change
- FLAG: Removal
What datasets are in scope?
The FLAG has been modelled on the existing GFLI inventory datasets which were available on unit process level data as they were created in January, 2026 (Version 3.0). This means:
- 262 crop production datasets – based on 94 crop-country combinations based on specific crops
- 1570 to 1600 crop production datasets – based on 612 crop-country combinations using a crop-proxy approach (depending on allocation)
- 64 datasets are branded data and not updated with FLAG.
- 370 – 400 datasets (depending on allocation) were not updated at the time of this update, either because a) its a sectoral data project where the data provider has not provided unit process level data access for GFLI to develop their datasets with, b) were out of scope or c) datasets were not available in UPR.
The list of datasets wherefore SBTI FLAG data available is, can be downloaded here:
| Costs overview for FLAG-aligned database (annual costs) | ||
| FLAG | Package | |
| Individual Commercial use (LCIA) | 4.500 EUR | 5.500 EUR |
| Membership commercial license (LCIA) | 2.000 EUR | 2.250 EUR |
| Developer license 1-50 users (LCIA)* | 9.500 EUR | 11.500 EUR |
| Research license 1-5 users (LCIA) | 1.100 EUR | 1.325 EUR |
*For developer licensees with more than 50 users, please reach out for the prices.
Questions & Answers
More to come…