Wednesday 31 January 2024

How can you calculate your organisation’s carbon footprint?

Understanding and reducing carbon footprints has become a top priority. But what exactly is a carbon footprint, and how can you, as an organisation, accurately calculate it?

What’s a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) an individual or organisation emits. It can be used to measure your entire contribution to GHG emissions, usually over a 12-month period. Or it can be used to measure the emissions associated with one of that organisation’s products or services.

What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?

An organisation’s emissions are calculated using a defined set of what are known as emission scopes. These are defined by the GHG Protocol:

Scope 1 covers the direct emissions that result from activities within your organisation’s control. Typically, these include onsite fuel combustion and materials processing company-owned vehicles.

Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from energy your organisation has purchased. This is mostly for electricity, heat, steam or cooling.

Scope 3 covers the emissions from all activities which are up– or downstream of your organisation. This could include emissions from: