A pencil causes no emissions after you sell it. A washing machine, a car or a boiler uses energy for years. For makers of such products, category 11 can be larger than all other categories together. You calculate it from a scenario of how customers use the product over its life.
- Scope 3 category 11, use of sold products: emissions from the use by end users of the products that your company sold.
- Who it matters for: companies that make or sell finished products for end users.
- Method: a use scenario for each product, with its lifetime, number of uses and emissions per use.
- Reduction: redesign products to use less energy, or sell products that need less energy.
What does category 11 include?
Category 11 covers emissions from the use by end users of the products that the reporting company sold. Of course, many products cause no emissions when they are used, for example a pencil.
For which companies does category 11 matter?
This category applies only to companies that make or sell finished products for end users.
Calculation methods
To calculate category 11 emissions, you need assumptions about how customers use the products, and the design specifications of the products.
The method depends on the type of product:
- Products that use energy directly, such as cars or appliances: you calculate the energy or fuel they use, as for Scopes 1 and 2.
- Fuels and feedstocks that you sell: you calculate the emissions from burning them.
- Products that contain greenhouse gases, such as refrigerants: you calculate the gases released during use.
Where do you find the data for this category?
To estimate emissions in this category, you need an emission scenario for each product you sell. The scenario should show the lifetime of the product, the number of uses and the emissions per use.
Take into account the region where the products are used. This matters most for products that use electricity.
What are the main challenges in category 11?
Your company may sell a very wide range of products that use electricity, for example. Then the challenge is to list these products and estimate emissions for each product or product group.
How to reduce emissions in category 11?
If you are a manufacturer, think about how to redesign your products so that they cause fewer emissions.
If you are a distributor, think about selling products that use less energy.
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