An Explainer: What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions?

Emissions series:

Scope 1, 2, 3 Explainer | Scope 4 Emissions

Over the last decade, governments and companies have moved to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The first step is to understand exactly what an organization already produces for emissions.

This is easier said than done – what do you choose to include and exclude?

What are the different scopes?

Scope 1 – Direct emissions from operations

Scope 2 – Indirect emissions from purchased energy

Scope 3 – All other emissions associated with a company’s activities

Upstream emissions – Emissions which originate from suppliers of the company’s goods and services

Downstream emissions – Emissions which originate from the buyer or consumer of the company’s goods and services

Sources:

https://www.sustain.life/blog/scope-emissions

https://www.bhp.com/-/media/documents/investors/annual-reports/2020/200910_bhpclimatechangereport2020.pdf

https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/environment/sustainable-operations/carbon-footprint

https://reports.shell.com/sustainability-report/2020/our-performance-data/greenhouse-gas-and-energy-data.html