Scope emissions classify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on an organisation’s level of control or influence over them. This framework, developed under the GHG Protocol, helps organisations measure, manage, and report their climate impact comprehensively.
- Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organisation. Examples include on-site fuel combustion, company vehicles, industrial processes, and fugitive emissions, such as leaks from equipment.
- Scope 2 includes indirect emissions associated with purchased energy, such as electricity, heating, cooling, or steam. While these emissions occur off-site, they result from the organisation’s energy consumption and are considered part of its overall footprint.
- Scope 3 captures other indirect emissions that occur across the organisation’s value chain, both upstream and downstream. These can arise from purchased goods and services, business travel, employee commuting, product use, waste disposal, transport and distribution, investments, and leased assets. Scope 3 is increasingly reported to provide a full picture of an organisation’s climate impact.
- Scope 4 is an optional category, not yet formally recognised by the GHG Protocol, that accounts for emissions avoided or reduced through the organisation’s products or services. For instance, producing energy-efficient equipment or enabling suppliers and customers to lower their emissions could be included here.
