Scope 3 without large production – purchases and commuting
A services and design company measured a fuller corporate footprint, even with no energy-heavy production. Purchased goods and services and staff commuting mattered most.
The client did not have a typical industrial profile. It had no large production processes, few direct emissions and a small role for energy compared with heavy industry.
The question was: does Scope 3 matter at all in such a company? In service companies, the issue is not a chimney or a big production line. The issue is data spread across purchasing, accounting and the daily habits of staff.
Scope 3 was larger than the company’s own emissions. Purchased goods and services made up about half of the total footprint. Staff commuting made up about a quarter to a third.
Direct emissions were less than 10% of the total. This is a good example: even a company with no production can have a large Scope 3. Its make-up is just different from industry.
How we ran the project
Organisational boundaries
We set which activities of the company go into the footprint.
Own emissions
We included fuels, energy and other Scope 1 and 2 sources, where they existed.
Scope 3 mapping
We looked at purchases, capital goods, emissions linked to fuels and energy, and staff commuting.
Staff data
We estimated the impact of staff commuting from the information we had or from staff surveys.
Report and explanation
We presented the result so that it shows where action is possible: purchasing policy, travel and the way work is organised.
The client got a corporate footprint. It shows that in services, the main emissions are often not in the office, but in purchases and travel. The report gives a basis for simple, practical steps: better records of purchases, talks with suppliers and a review of how staff travel to work.
Scope 3 is not only for industry. In service companies, it can show that the biggest impact lies in purchasing and travel decisions, not in office energy use.
Service companies have a carbon footprint too
Let’s talk. We will measure your Scope 3 and show you where action makes sense.