What are the emissions scopes?
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol categorises all GHG emissions into 3 groups, known as “Scopes” 1, 2, and 3. Scopes are a way of categorising GHG emissions resulting from a business’s activities. Emissions can be created from a business’s own operations, as well as within its wider value chain (its suppliers and customer).
- Scope 1
Scope 1 emissions are “direct” GHG emissions from sources a business owns or controls, e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces, vehicles, etc. Sources of scope 1 emissions include a business’s facilities and machinery, on-site energy and heating, refrigerants, and emissions from company-owned vehicles.
- Scope 2
Scope 2 emissions are “indirect” GHG emissions from the generation and consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heat or cooling that enables the reporting company to perform its business activities. Scope 2 emissions are usually generated off-site.
- Scope 3
Scope 3 emissions are all “indirect” GHG emissions not included in scope 2. Scope 3 emissions include those emitted by a business’s suppliers, the processing, packaging and transportation of its products and services and by its customers when using its products. There are 15 categories of scope 3 emissions which also include business travel, employee commuting, and waste disposal. For many businesses, Scope 3 emissions are usually the largest contributor to their carbon footprint, and often, the hardest to measure and tackle.
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