Carbon Accounting – I’ve calculated my emissions – How do I report?

Congratulations you’ve calculated your emissions!

Now for next steps. Reporting your emissions is a crucial step for transparency, compliance, and stakeholder engagement.

Companies will typically report under a specific framework, the choice of framework will depend on the industry your business is in and if you have any regulatory requirements.

It is important to understand that all frameworks stem from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – if you perform your calculations in line with this, you can easily adjust your reporting to meet any framework requirements.

An emissions report should provide a detailed and clear account of your GHG emissions, the methodologies used, and your reduction strategies. A standard report includes:

1. Emissions by scope,
2. Methodology
3. reduction measures
4. Intensity metrics
5. Future goals
6. Progress to date

Communicate the results internally and publicly, engage your stakeholders and drive future change.

With consistent and transparent reporting, your company can demonstrate its commitment to sustainability while also identifying ways to improve performance and reduce costs associated with energy and materials consumption.

Useful Definitions

Baseline emissions: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions a company emitted, typically before implementing carbon reduction measures. This can be used as a reference point against which to measure future progress in reducing emissions. Baseline emissions serve as a benchmark for comparison for companies to track, monitor, and communicate their own performance over time.

Emissions factors: a coefficient used to estimate the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced per unit of activity or input. It provides a standardized way to calculate emissions from various sources and processes by relating them to a specific activity, such as energy use, fuel consumption, or production processes.

Activity data: This includes quantitative data such as fuel consumed, electricity used, kilometers traveled, and quantities of goods or waste.

Upstream Emissions: (supply chain), these are accounted for for all purchased goods and services through the raw materials etc. that go into a final product

Downstream Emissions: (from your products/services), this involves the end of life treatment of sold products or use of sold products

Intensity Metric: Typically, companies use what’s known as an intensity metric to show their improvements even as a company grows. This is a measure of company activity against emissions. For example, for every 1 kg imported, THE COMPANY creates x amounts of CO2. Even as a company grows, if they are making improvements, this figure should remain static or fall.

MtCO2e: MtC02e refers to Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent. It is a unit of measure used to express the impact of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) on global warming in terms of the amount of CO2 that would have the same impact over a specific period (usually 100 years). This is a standard unit for comparing the emissions of various greenhouse gasses based on their global warming potential (GWP). For example, if a company reports its emissions as 100 MtCO2e, it means the combined impact of all the greenhouse gasses it emits is equivalent to 100 metric tons of CO2.

SBTi Alignment: Science Based Target initiative is a standard in line with what climate science says is needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. If companies align with SBTi, they are required to set a 2030 and 2050 target. The 2030 target requires a 45-50% reduction from a baseline year with the long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Carbon neutrality: Balancing emitted carbon with an equivalent amount of offsetting or removal (e.g., through carbon credits).

Additionality: This concept ensures that a carbon offset project results in emissions reductions that wouldn’t have occurred without the project. True additionality is crucial for the integrity of the carbon credit.

Permanence: Some carbon removal strategies (e.g., reforestation) need to ensure that the CO₂ stays sequestered long term.

To learn how Greenfeet can help you to calculate and easily report on your carbon emissions, contact us today.