When measuring corporate sustainability, a company will often focus only on its direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2). However, these categories only account for a portion of a company's total GHG footprint.
Scope 3 emissions, encompassing all indirect emissions not included in Scopes 1 and 2, often make up a significant portion of a company's carbon footprint - in some cases as much as 90%. These emissions can arise from various activities, including:
Recognizing the importance of Scope 3 emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) developed a standardized framework for classifying and reporting these emissions into 15 categories. We have taken a look at each individual category