Trucost Default Price Set

This is Trucost's default set of prices applied to each environmental impact, formulated by our academic panel and derived from environmental economics literature. All values in this price set represent average damage costs (regionally non-specific).

Values reflect the damage each environmental impact (resulting from an organisation's
direct and indirect emission of pollutants or extraction of raw materials) causes to human, natural and built capital and the consequential costs borne by society.

All values employed are secondary -the synthesis of existing published and unpublished literature. This standardised, quantitative and complete data can be used to assess risks, opportunities and relative environmental performance against peers and across sectors, giving an indicator of the long-term sustainability of the company. Inflation adjustments are taken into account.

• The GHG prices are damage costs and are consistent with well-established protocols for global warming potential so that the price of each gas shows its contribution to global warming.
• Water abstraction prices are damage valuations and reflect the average environmental damage caused by abstraction of water from rivers & streams, groundwater, tidal water, lakes, artificial reservoirs and other sources.

• Waste prices are damage valuations and reflect the average environmental damage caused by landfill, incineration and nuclear waste. Recycling carries a zero cost as external costs caused by the process of recycling are indirect, i.e. incurred by the recycler, not the user of the waste.
• Air pollution prices are damage valuations and reflect the relative toxicity of each pollutant emitted to air.