Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.variable.global/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Products, Elements & Datasets
Datasets are the original source of impact data (emission factors). They can come from databases like ecoinvent, be shared by other companies, or be created by the user. A Product (also called an LCA) is a modeled footprint - it has a bill of materials (aModel with many Inputs) and calculates its impacts from them.
An Element is a named, reusable source that an Input points to. Materials, Energy, Transport, and Process are all kinds of Element - they live in your Inventory and can be referenced by Inputs across many Products.
A Material is one kind of Element. It gets its impacts by referencing a Dataset directly rather than modeling a bill of materials. You add metadata like supplier, SKU, and location to it.
This modeled-vs-referenced distinction applies to every kind of Element - Materials, Processes, Energy, and Transport can each either be modeled (with their own BOM) or reference a Dataset.
| API endpoint | What it returns | Description |
|---|---|---|
/product | Products | Modeled footprints with a bill of materials |
/material | Materials | Sourced items that reference a Dataset for their impacts |
/dataset | Datasets | User-created, supplier-shared, or database-added emission factor data |
/database | Datasets | Search the full Variable emission factor database |
Models & Inputs
AnInput is a line item in a Product’s bill of materials. It carries a quantity and unit, and points to an Element - a Material, Process, Energy, or Transport - or, in some cases, to another Product directly. The Input’s calculated CO2e is its quantity multiplied by the emission factor from the source’s Dataset.
Activity
AnActivity represents the actual flow of materials through the system. Activities are a quantity of Product, Material, or Transportation with a resulting CO2e value.