How is a carbon footprint calculated?

A carbon footprint is calculated by measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with an organisation’s activities. These emissions are classified into three categories known as scopes, according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources that an organisation owns or controls, such as fuel burned in company-owned vehicles or on-site boilers.

• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling. Although the organisation doesn't directly emit these gases, it is responsible for the emissions generated in producing the energy it uses.

• Scope 3: All other indirect emissions that occur in an organisation’s value chain, such as the transportation of goods, employee commuting, business travel, waste disposal, and the carbon footprint of purchased products.