Embodied Carbon, News, Sustainability, Uncategorized
Important ICE Database Announcement
Mar
To all ICE Database Users,
This letter summarises important updates to the ICE Database and how it will be made available in the near future. The database will remain accessible to all users, but the permitted use will change as part of a transition to a more sustainable operating model.
The ICE Database: Challenges
We previously indicated in a letter from late last year, upcoming changes which were being considered for the ICE Database.
Over the last 20 years, since the ICE Database was first launched, the landscape has changed beyond recognition. Expectations are higher than ever, with increasing focus on adherence to standards and using more up to date data.
Despite Circular Ecology spending a notable six figure sum (e.g. funding shortfall) in the development of data for the ICE Database, we are well aware of how much more of the older data would benefit from an update, and how much further the data could go (we have access to over 100,000 datapoints in our background databases).
We have come to the realisation that maintaining the database to modern standards requires sustained resources beyond what the free model can support, particularly in the current economic landscape.
We believe the project would require several full-time staff members to maintain and advance the data, in addition to a budget to access external data sources, which were previously freely available (e.g. other data providers have had to change their free data model).
We released the ICE Database supporter system, implemented offers across our training courses, and used proceeds from our Scaling Carbon Reductions Initiative (SCRI) in an attempt to raise funding, but sadly the gap in the level of resources it takes to update the data shows that this funding mechanism is not a sustainable model. There was also a low uptake on sales of the ICE v4.1 machine readable version, which was used to try and boost the funding before making decisions on a new business model.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all organisations that took part in these initiatives, they allowed the ICE Database to remain free for all users and all uses for a while longer than it would have. The ICE supporter system will remain there to recognise key contributions. Going forward, our SCRI will refocus on projects that require less ongoing maintenance.
What’s Changing
The ICE Database will move to a freemium model, where it will be the “free” component of this business model, but with that comes strict limitations on the application of the ICE Database.
We have therefore come to the difficult decision to limit the use of the ICE Database to educational and reference purposes only. This reflects its original intended purpose and allows us to continue providing open access to the dataset in a way that is manageable and sustainable. Going forward, the database will only be released as “ICE Database Educational”, allowing us to focus more on the development of free educational resources around the data.
This means that only 100% educational use will be permitted once users’ licences for ICE v4.0 and v4.1 expire. However, it will no longer be licensed for any other use (including commercial application), such as use in project calculations, tools, software, an API, or internal initiatives. Users will still be able to download the data. They can use it for teaching (even on paid-for training courses), education, view and browse, or refer to the data as a reference point.
We appreciate that organisations will need time to plan for the update of the data in their projects, tools, and platforms. Currently, all ICE v4.1 licences expire at the end of June. To support a smooth transition, all existing ICE v4.1 licences will be extended until 30th Sept 2026, giving organisations 6 months from this announcement to update their tools, models, and footprints.
Introducing a New Commercial Database
This brings us to the premium side of a freemium business model. In order to deliver more current and improved embodied carbon data, we are launching a new premium database, called IC+. This will be a separate product from the ICE Database Educational, and it will contain the latest data. To enable a smooth migration, it will initially retain much of the data structure and categorisations.
This opens the project up to new possibilities, more up to date data, new emissions factors, new levels of detail and consideration, more frequent updates, and a whole new world of possibilities to where the database can grow.
The intention is that, provided all goes well with this new premium database, data will cascade down to the free ICE Database Educational after a number of years. Further details on this product will be released over the next month or two, with the IC+ database being available for users over the summer, but if you are interested in discussing before then, please contact us to speak about how these changes affect your use case.
Closing Thoughts
We are conscious that there are many users of the ICE Database who will be affected. We have compiled an FAQ below covering the anticipated questions. However, we do encourage you to reach out to us to discuss your situation and any questions that you may have which are not covered in the FAQ below. We will add to the below FAQ section over time.
So far, the stakeholders that we have discussed these changes with have been understanding. However, we have been particularly concerned about making these changes; we were hoping to maintain the ICE Database as a free resource for all use cases, but the level of resources it needs to bring all the data up to date and maintain it is beyond that of a free carbon database. We also have other business challenges to address, with a low pipeline of work to resolve in these unusual times, we therefore need to refocus efforts towards developmental activities. We are hoping the new freemium business model will be more sustainable for the ICE Database, but as an educational only resource.
Summary of Changes
- The ICE Database will remain free but will be permitted for educational and reference purposes only.
- No other use, including commercial use, of the ICE Database, will be permitted after 30th September 2026.
- To ensure users have time to find replacement data, we are extending everyone’s commercial ICE V4.1 licences as a goodwill gesture; they will be extended to 30th Sept 2026.
- ICE Database Educational will be released over the Spring to early Summer. It will largely contain data from ICE v4.1 (only educational use), but with the really old ICE v2 2011 data removed in its entirety. Because this leaves gaps in the data when applied to buildings, we will be adding a new “general plastics” emissions factor into ICE Educational when it is released.
- We are launching a new product for commercial use, called IC+, which will contain the latest data with an aligned data structure and categorisation. It is anticipated to be updated annually.
- The plan is to maintain the ICE Database as an educational data resource, with data cascading down from the commercial product (IC+) into the ICE Database Educational after a period of time, all going well with the IC+ database.
| ICE Database Educational | Commercial: IC+ |
| Free | Commercial licence fees |
| For teaching, training, reference only | Wide range of applications permitted |
| Not updated regularly, but if the new IC+ database goes well, data should cascade down into ICE | More up to date data, intended to be updated annually |
| Not permitted for use in calculations, tools, software, platforms, etc. | Supports commercial applications (tools, assessments, calculations, etc.) |
Thank you for your continued support and for being part of the ICE Database community.
Kind regards,
Dr Craig Jones, on behalf of Circular Ecology
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is changing with the ICE Database?
The ICE Database is becoming an educational-only resource. It will only be permitted to use for 100% educational or reference purposes. No other use will be permitted.
When is the change happening?
Users with a valid licence of permission to use ICE v4.1 will be extended until 30th Sept 2026.
Why is the change being made?
The ICE Database remains a well-used database, but it takes a significant amount of time and resources to update the data. The data sources being used should be more consistent, more reliable, and more transparent, but we are finding they are not. The database is used extensively for commercial applications, despite the data needing various updates to bring it up to date. We feel that to maintain the ICE Database adequately, to the standards expected in 2026, it should really have 3 or 4 full time staff members on the project. A free business model is not able to sustain this. One of the background data sources has also started charging to access the digital EPD data, so a budget for accessing background data would also be needed going forward.
When will the ICE Database Educational be released?
We are expecting to launch it in Spring to early Summer 2026.
How does it affect specific versions of the ICE Database?
ICE v4.1: All licences were due to expire in June 2026. However, Circular Ecology are extending all ICE v4.1 licences to 30th Sept 2026, which gives 6 months from the date of this notice to make necessary changes to replace the ICE data. Afterwards, there will be no permitted use of the ICE v4.1 data.
ICE v4.0: This was the first version of the database that introduced a 1-year licence for permission to use. Licences were granted based on the date of download. Once the date in an individual licence expired, use of the data was no longer permitted.
ICE v3.0: This was the first version developed at Circular Ecology. There wasn’t a licence for 12 months system, but we no longer provide ICE v3.0 data, nor do we support it; it was released in 2019, so it is now aged data.
ICE v2: This data was not developed at Circular Ecology; it is the last of the data developed mainly whilst Dr Jones was still at the University of Bath. This version of the database was published in 2011; it is therefore 15 years old.
Will I be allowed to use the ICE Database in a free tool / software / platform?
It will not be permitted, unless it is a 100% educational only tool / software / platform, e.g. they don’t permit any commercial use.
When will details of the new commercial database be released?
Details will be released over Spring and early Summer 2026. Feel free to contact us for more information.
How much will the new commercial database cost to access?
[Discounts will be offered for the organisations that supported ICE through the supporter system, and those that purchased training courses or the Machine Readable version when the ICE DB fund raising offer was on. Further discounts will also be offered to Circular Ecology’s current clients.]
The pricing model is still being developed. Although access will start at £800 for 1 user for 12 months. The pricing will scale down quickly for multiple users.
A pricing model for use in tools, software and platforms hasn’t yet been developed and will likely depend on each use case, so please contact Circular Ecology to discuss how you use ICE in your tool, software or platform.
Where can I find out more information?
We will be releasing more details on our website and email lists, but if you have questions or wish to discuss with Circular Ecology, please contact us.
