Pillar 1

#4: Carbon footprint measurement

Measuring the carbon footprint of an organisation allows us to quantify GHG emissions while considering possible reduction options. GHG emissions are measured in units of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq).

5 Principles

To ensure that emissions inventory remains faithful, true and fair, in line with the organisationā€™s emissions, the following principles formulated in the GHG Protocol need to be followed21:

Relevance

Completeness

Coherence

Transparency

Precision

3 scopes of mission

Image Description

Figure 3: Overview of GHG Protocol scopes and emissions across the value chain.22

Explore the scopes

Scope 1: Direct emissions

  • Fixed or mobile installations located within the organisational perimeter, i.e. emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organisation.
  • Examples: gas consumption for heating and steam production, the transportation of materials and products in vehicles owned or controlled by the organisation, and refrigerant loss from refrigeration circuits.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions

  • Emissions associated with the production of purchased electricity, heat, steam or
  • Examples: The CO2 equivalent of a kWh of electricity generated by natural resources such as hydroelectric power is negligible compared with a coal-fired plant.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions

  • All other indirect emissions.
  • Examples include trips made by vehicles that do not belong to the organisation, or emissions linked to the purchase of goods and services.

Emissions should be contextualised along the value chain, considering upstream and downstream reporting activities and related emissions.24,25

  1. Data Collection: a vast amount of activity data needs to be collected from projects in rapidly changing contexts in different geographical areas.
  2. Engagement: mobilising and sensitising large numbers of people to collect data can be a challenge.

To address these challenges effectively, two key principles should be applied:

  1. Iterative work: focus efforts on the most significant emissions categories to maximise impact.
  2. Incremental data quality improvement: each iteration of the carbon footprint provides deeper insight into emissions sources, helping to implement targeted and effective action
Acronyms
Pillar 2

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