ICE Database - Frequently Asked Questions

The ICE Database contains the embodied carbon data for a wide range of different materials, from concrete, plastics, metals and much more.

The ICE Database originally contained embodied energy and embodied carbon factors. However, since 2019, embodied energy factors have been excluded. The data in the wider literature, on which the ICE Database relies, generally no longer reports the embodied energy of construction products. Instead, embodied carbon has become the main metric.

You can access the Educational version of the ICE Database directly via the Educational ICE Database page.

If you wish to use the Advanced version of the ICE Database for professional or commercial purposes, you will need to register for permission under the appropriate licence type:

• Individual Licence: For professional, non-educational use.
• Tools and Integration Licence: For organisations embedding the data into tools, software, or databases.

To access and download the Advanced version of the ICE Database, please see the links below:

• Individual Licence application
• Tools and Integration Licence application

Yes, the ICE Database remains a free resource.

We encourage professional and organisational users who benefit from the ICE Database in their work to contribute financially to its ongoing maintenance and development. These voluntary contributions help us keep the resource open, accurate, and sustainable for the global community.

Users who intend to embed the ICE Database data within software, tools, APIs, or databases are required to hold a valid Tools and Integration Licence. Accessing the Machine-Readable format of the ICE Database for such applications requires purchase through our online store, following successful registration and approval under the appropriate licence.

There are two versions, both having different permitted usage: 

Educational use includes self-learning, teaching (schools, colleagues, universities…etc), academic research projects (e.g. University research) and use in free training courses.

Educational users may download and use the Educational ICE Database without registering by completing the form here.

Attribution must be given to Circular Ecology, and a link to the official download page must be included. 

Non-Educational use covers all professional and commercial applications of the ICE Database.

This includes consultancy projects, non-academic research and development projects, software, tools, platforms, etc.

Such users must register for permission to use the ICE Database under one of two licence types: Individual Licence and Tools and Integration Licence.

• Individual Licence: For professionals or consultants using the ICE Database independently for analysis, reporting, or embodied carbon assessments. This licence does not permit embedding the database, in whole or in part, within tools, software, or databases. 

• Tools and Integration Licence: For organisations embedding the ICE Database within software, APIs, databases, or tools (internal or external). 

A Point of Contact must be registered to ensure compliance, updates, and communication with Circular Ecology. 

The Machine-Readable format of the ICE Database allows for seamless integration into digital tools, databases, and platforms. 

It can be purchased from the Circular Ecology online store, but purchasing it alone does not grant permission to use the data. 

Users must still hold a valid licence. Proceeds from sales of the Machine-Readable format are reinvested into maintaining and developing the ICE Database. 

The Point of Contact is the registered representative responsible for receiving updates, version notifications, and communications from Circular Ecology. This role applies only to Tools and Integration Licence holders and ensures that updates and version changes are shared within the organisation.  If the Point of Contact unsubscribes from Circular Ecology email updates, they must regularly check the website for new releases and any important updates. 

Any organisations wishing to use the ICE Database for non-educational purposes are required to register for permission to use the data. Registration is valid until 30th June 2026, after which re-registration will be required.

Registration is completed on the following pages, depending on the licence application type: 

• Individual Licence

• Tools and Integration Licence

Don’t know which licence you need? Please see our Terms & Conditions of Use for more information. 

Registration for permission to use the Advanced ICE Database under any non-educational licence is valid until 30th June 2026. After that date, all licences will transition to the standard 12-month renewal cycle. 

Once expired, users must re-register to maintain permission to use the ICE Database. Re-registration remains free and ensures continued access to updates and new versions. 

All users of the ICE Database must give full attribution to the ICE Database and its authors: Circular Ecology Ltd. 

A link to the official ICE Database landing page must be included to ensure others can access the latest version. 

You may circulate the ICE Database internally within your organisation, encouraging them to also sign-up.

You may not distribute the ICE Database or any of its derived data externally unless covered by a valid Tools and Integration Licence. 

External users should be directed to the official ICE Database download page: 

https://circularecology.com/embodied-carbon-footprint-database.html 

To use the data in any software or tool, users are required to register for permission to use under a Tools and Integration Licence. 

Registration is free and covered in the above guidance. Users shall also provide us with details of the software, tool, or platform, even if it is only available internally. This is an important process, as this helps us better understand where and how the ICE Database is utilised, and how we can keep the tool developers up to date with product updates and improvements. 

The ICE Educational version is intended to show only the key information in ICE and is intended for download by typical users who wish to access material embodied carbon information for personal or educational use. 

The Advanced version of ICE remains free, and offers deeper data insights, on the material profiles. This version is aimed at users/organisations that wish to use the ICE Database for more than just educational purposes. For example, commercial application, in software, tools, platforms…etc.

The ICE Database is a material-focused database that draws mainly from Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and high quality Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). Therefore the background data does contain individual product data (from specific manufacturers), but the published ICE database is more generic data, so not brand specific.  

The ICE Database sources data from a variety of online freely accessible Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) repositories such as the BECD Database. We also use sector-average EPDs in some cases, and high quality Life Cycle Assessments. All references for the data used in ICE are available in the dataset. 

The ICE Database is maintained through a mix of voluntary effort, reinvested revenue, and user support. 

You can help sustain it by: 

• Making a financial contribution 

• Providing material embodied carbon data 

• Sharing the database with your networks 

Learn more via the Scaling Carbon Reductions Initiative (SCRI) or the ICE Database Supporter System. 

Circular Ecology periodically updates the ICE Database as new data and resources become available. However, maintaining and updating the dataset requires significant resources, and securing funding for this work has always been a challenge. 

In recent years, we’ve explored several approaches to sustain the ICE Database. That includes voluntary contributions from its users, and the Scaling Carbon Reductions Initiative (SCRI), which reinvests a portion of revenue from training courses, tree planting activities, and carbon offset projects into maintaining free public resources. 

To help strengthen this long-term, we have introduced the Machine-Readable format as a paid product through our online store. Proceeds are reinvested directly into the research, verification, and update work required to maintain the quality and credibility of the database. 

To date, the ICE Database has been downloaded by well over 50,000 professionals globally and is referenced in countless reports, journals, books, lectures, and carbon footprint calculators.  

Stay informed on future ICE Database developments by subscribing to our Newsletter here, following us on LinkedIn, or checking our News & Updates page for announcements, updates, and upcoming webinars. 

We often run webinars alongside our ICE developments that discuss upcoming changes to the database. You can view an example of this for a v4.0 update here.