Listen to this story:

• New access to emissions data: Watershed’s Open CEDA provides free, global emissions data across 148 countries and 400 industries—covering 95% of global GDP.
• Tackling scope 3 blind spots: The open database addresses inaccuracies in regionally skewed emissions reporting—critical for companies with global supply chains.
• Backed by major institutions: Amazon, WWF, and PCAF endorse Open CEDA’s role in enabling accurate, cost-effective carbon accounting and climate action.

Watershed has launched Open CEDA, a free public version of its global emissions database—the Comprehensive Environmental Data Archive—unlocking access to environmental data across 148 countries, 400 industries, and 95% of global GDP.

This move aims to bridge data gaps that undermine climate action and reporting efforts for companies, governments, nonprofits, and academic institutions. Open CEDA is now available at openceda.org.

“Simply put, better data leads to better decisions,” said Christian Anderson, Watershed co-founder. “By opening up CEDA to the public, we hope to give organizations of all sizes a more accurate foundation from which to make critical choices about their sustainability action.”

The release responds to a major issue in corporate sustainability: 75% of companies reporting to CDP in 2023 used emissions datasets skewed toward a single country—misrepresenting operational footprints and stalling progress, especially on scope 3 emissions. For globally sourced supply chains, emission variances can differ by as much as 70% depending on the country.

Watershed’s CEDA has already been used by major enterprises like Johnson & Johnson, Stripe, and BBVA. One company used the tool to cut supply chain emissions by 30% by shifting procurement to lower-emission suppliers in Mexico, Canada, and Italy.

Watershed will maintain a premium version of CEDA with enhanced data granularity and support, but the open version is designed to scale access and standardize measurement methodologies globally.

Industry Leaders Endorse Open CEDA

Amazon is incorporating Open CEDA into its Sustainability Exchange and Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI).

“Access to high-quality environmental data is important for companies to take meaningful climate action across all sectors,” said Michelle Jolly, Director of Sustainability Solutions at Amazon.
“By incorporating Open CEDA into the Exchange and ASDI, we’re helping to reduce barriers to accessing emissions data that organizations of all sizes need to make informed sustainability decisions.”

RELATED ARTICLE: Watershed Streamlines CSRD Compliance with Dedicated Software Launch

Financial institutions are another key beneficiary.

“The decision to make the CEDA database freely accessible is a welcome step,” said Arjun Ganguly of the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF).
“It reduces the barrier to start carbon accounting for financial institutions across the globe regardless of size and budget.”

WWF is already applying Open CEDA in global emissions research.

“We use Open CEDA to analyze and inform strategy on different industry sectors,” said Martha Stevenson, WWF-US’s Senior Director of Strategy and Research for Forests.
“The inclusion of land sector emissions and geographic resolution is critical… Making this tool public will inform better decisions across companies and NGOs and enable more action.”

Watershed’s Open CEDA is a strategic opportunity for corporations, investors, and sustainability leaders to align emissions reporting with real-world operations—while removing cost and accessibility barriers. For companies with global footprints, Open CEDA could be the key to unlocking credible climate disclosures and measurable action.

Follow ESG News on LinkedIn