Sustainability Data Initiative

Cornerstone exists to provide high-quality, open sustainability data for businesses, governments, and researchers worldwide. Our mission is to build and maintain the core datasets organizations need to measure scope 1–3 emissions — and to focus on what matters for decarbonization.

We're starting with the foundations: supply chain and electricity data. We are unifying the two most widely used scope 3 models, USEEIO and CEDA, into a single global, open MRIO model that can serve as a durable common standard. We are also stewarding eGRID and the Emission Factors Hub — the scope 1 and 2 resources relied on by more than 80% of U.S. companies.

As the need for trusted, open data grows, so will we. We aim to provide the cornerstone.

Currently, the Cornerstone team is working on:

• Harmonizing the U.S. modeling approach between USEEIO and CEDA
• Updating U.S. state models with the latest environmental and economic data
• Developing our roadmap for eGRID 2025 and the 2027 Hub
• Engaging and seeking feedback from the broader community of industrial ecologists and input-output modelers

As part of our mission, we work as much as possible in the open. We welcome input in the form of issues, discussions, and pull requests on Github.

We encourage users to post questions in our Github discussion forums for community support. Members of the Cornerstone team also check these forums regularly and will do our best to provide answers as our time allows.

For more in-depth, paid support or customized model extensions, ERG offers consulting services and direct technical assistance, and Watershed offers a paid, enterprise version of CEDA.