For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) committed to sustainability, accurately measuring emissions is crucial. Understanding and managing carbon footprints helps SMEs reduce their environmental impact, comply with regulations, and enhance their market appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

Understanding What to Measure

Scope of Emissions: Emissions are categorized into three scopes:
•    Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (e.g., company vehicles and on-site fuel combustion).

•    Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the reporting company.

•    Scope 3: All other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain (e.g., business travel, procurement, waste disposal, and use of sold products).

Steps to Measure Emissions

Data Collection: Gather data on energy consumption, resource usage (like water and materials), and waste generation. This involves reviewing utility bills, fuel receipts, and waste management reports.

Choose a Reliable Methodology: Adopt a standard method for calculating emissions, such as the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which provides comprehensive global standardized frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions from private and public sector operations and value chains.

Utilise Emission Factors: Apply appropriate emission factors—which convert energy use or waste volumes into carbon dioxide equivalents—to the collected data. These factors vary by region and energy source and are regularly updated to reflect changes in energy mix and technology.

Calculate Emissions: Multiply the activity data by the emission factors to get the total emissions for each source. This will give you a comprehensive view of where your emissions are coming from.

Tools and Software: Consider using carbon management software to streamline data collection, calculation, and reporting. These tools can automate many of the tasks involved in measuring emissions and ensure accuracy.

Core Activities to Measure

•    Energy Use: This includes all electricity, gas, and other fuels used in company operations.

•    Transportation: Measure emissions from company-owned vehicles and employee business travel.

•    Waste Management: Assess the impact of waste produced by the business, including disposal and recycling processes.

•    Supply Chain Operations: For Scope 3 emissions, evaluate the emissions related to the production and transportation of goods and services your company purchases.

•    Product Lifecycle: Consider the end-use of sold products and their disposal or recycling.

Positive Action to Take Now:

Begin with a small-scale audit focusing on one area, such as energy use, to develop an understanding and process before scaling up to more comprehensive measurements.

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