Mar 28, 2025 • 4 min read
For organizations looking to make a major impact in their carbon emission strategies, identifying and reducing Scope 3 emissions is an essential step. Understanding what kinds of emissions comprise Scope 3 emissions and how to disclose them creates a more accurate ESG report.
In this article, we discuss what types of emissions are included in Scope 3 emissions, what you can do to reduce your impact, and how you can calculate emissions for accurate ESG reports.
Scope 3 emissions include all indirect emissions across your organization’s value chain. There are 15 different categories included in Scope 3 emissions. Those categories include:
According to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, Scope 3 emissions account for the largest share of most companies’ Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Not only is Scope 3 information useful for identifying carbon emissions, but it can help organizations find ways to streamline and create more efficient processes along their entire value chain.
There are a few different carbon accounting methodologies your organization can use to measure carbon emissions. There are three main approaches: spend-based methodology, activity-based methodology, and a hybrid methodology.
A spend-based carbon accounting methodology (also referred to as consumption-based carbon accounting) measures the greenhouse gases associated with the consumption of goods by your organization. Spend-based carbon accounting takes into account the emissions generated throughout the entire lifecycle of a product or service, including the production, transportation, use, and final disposal.
Calculating carbon emissions with this strategy considers the financial value of a purchased good or service and then multiplies this value by an emission factor. This method provides an estimation per individual financial unit based on estimations and industry standards.
An activity-based carbon accounting methodology works by measuring emissions based on an organization’s activities or processes instead of their spending. This is a more granular process in comparison to the spend-based methodology, as it looks at every single activity on an organization’s value chain.
This method requires organizations to record raw data from activities. The more detailed the information, the more accurate the accounting becomes. However, this method is best for calculating Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which can create a challenge for measuring Scope 3 emissions.
The hybrid methodology combines elements of both spend-based and activity-based accounting, offering a more comprehensive approach to carbon accounting. It allows organizations to track emissions based on financial expenditures while also incorporating specific activity data from their value chain. This dual approach provides greater accuracy in allocating emissions and offers deeper insights into both carbon impacts and financial outflows across a product’s lifecycle.
Once you identify which accounting methodology to use, the next step is to determine which of those emissions fit within the Scope 3 framework. Include these emissions, as well as the emissions within Scope 1 and Scope 2, in your sustainability or annual reports. The more specific you can get with this information, the better. Stakeholders want to see transparency, and the more transparent you are with business practices, the more informed decisions they can make.
Scope 3 emissions are challenging to keep track of because this is the largest group of emissions out of the Scope 1, 2, and 3 categories. The other reason is that Scope 3 emissions target indirect emission sources. It’s much more challenging for organizations to calculate emissions when they don’t own the sources. This is why it’s important for organizations to partner with supply chain partners that share similar ecological values or offer insight into their carbon emission minimization strategy.
Yes. Reducing Scope 3 emissions requires collaboration with your supply chain partners to drive lower-carbon alternatives and improve efficiencies. One effective approach is leveraging Scope Zero’s Carbon Savings Account (CSA) to engage employees in sustainable choices that reduce emissions associated with commuting, remote work, and business travel. By focusing on emission reduction strategies rather than offsets, your organization can make meaningful progress toward sustainability goals while driving real carbon impact.
Yes. Net-zero targets include all three scopes of emissions when it comes to carbon neutrality.
Minimize Scope 3 Emissions with Scope Zero
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