Real-World Equivalents Methodology
To help visualize the environmental footprint of your recipes, EcoTrace translates abstract metrics into relatable, everyday actions. Here is how we calculate our real-world equivalents, building on the five core metrics described in the EcoStrain Framework.
🚿 Showers (Water Footprint)
The average 8-minute shower uses about 75 liters of water. We divide the total water footprint of your recipe by 75 to estimate the number of showers it is equivalent to.
📱 Phone Charges (Resource Depletion)
To calculate phone charges, we look at the Resource Depletion impact (measured in kg Sb-eq). Extracting the rare earth metals and minerals for lithium-ion batteries carries a significant resource footprint. We estimate that one full smartphone charge is equivalent to roughly 0.00001 kg Sb-eq in resource depletion.
🚗 Miles Driven (Carbon Footprint)
The average passenger vehicle emits about 0.4 kg of COâ‚‚eq per mile driven. We divide the total carbon footprint of your recipe by 0.4 to find the equivalent miles driven in an average gas-powered car.
🧺 Loads of Laundry (Eco-Toxicity)
A standard washing machine cycle releases micro-pollutants and chemicals into wastewater systems. We estimate that one standard load of laundry carries an eco-toxicity footprint of 45 CTUe. We divide the recipe's total eco-toxicity score by 45 to determine the equivalent laundry loads.