What do you do if your company needs to track its carbon footprint?

1 Define your scope

The first step is to define the scope of your carbon footprint assessment. This means deciding which emissions sources you want to include, such as direct emissions from your own operations, indirect emissions from purchased electricity, or other indirect emissions from your supply chain, business travel, or waste. You also need to determine the boundaries of your assessment, such as the organizational units, geographic regions, and time periods you want to cover. A common framework for defining your scope is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which categorizes emissions into three scopes: scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3.

2 Collect your data

The next step is to collect the data you need to calculate your emissions. This may involve gathering information from various sources, such as utility bills, fuel consumption records, vehicle mileage logs, or supplier invoices. You may also need to estimate some data, such as the emission factors of different fuels or electricity sources, or the carbon intensity of your products or services. You can use tools such as online calculators, databases, or software to help you find and apply the appropriate data and factors.

3 Calculate your emissions

The third step is to calculate your emissions by multiplying your activity data by the corresponding emission factors. For example, if you know how much natural gas you used in a year and the emission factor of natural gas, you can calculate your scope 1 emissions from natural gas combustion. You can use tools such as spreadsheets, formulas, or software to help you perform the calculations and aggregate the results. You can also use tools such as conversion factors, global warming potentials, or carbon equivalencies to help you express your emissions in a common unit, such as metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).

4 Report your results

The final step is to report your results in a clear and transparent way. This means disclosing your methodology, assumptions, and uncertainties, as well as providing a breakdown of your emissions by source, scope, and category. You can use tools such as templates, standards, or frameworks to help you format and present your report. You can also use tools such as benchmarks, targets, or indicators to help you compare and communicate your performance. Depending on your purpose and audience, you may report your results internally, externally, or both.

Tracking your company's carbon footprint can be a challenging but rewarding process. By following these steps, you can make it easier and more effective. You can also use various tools and resources to help you along the way. However, tracking your carbon footprint is not enough. You also need to take action to reduce it and improve your environmental impact.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?