Carbon footprint

What does a carbon footprint include?

A carbon footprint is usually broken down into three scopes, as defined by the GHG Protocol:

Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as fuel burned by a company-operated truck fleet.
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heating, or cooling used to power offices, warehouses, and depots.
Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain, including outsourced transport, business travel, employee commuting, and the use of sold products.

Learn more about Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions in this article.

What is the difference between a carbon footprint and carbon accounting?

A carbon footprint is the result of carbon accounting i.e. the total amount of GHG emissions linked to a company or activity.

Carbon accounting is the process of measuring, calculating, and reporting on those emissions.

How do transport and logistics companies measure their carbon footprint?

The most accurate way is to calculate emissions based on primary data from each transport leg, including actual fuel consumption, vehicle type, distance, and load factor. It's important to use a methodology that is aligned with the GLEC Framework and EN ISO 14083:2023.

Where primary data is not available, companies can use secondary data such as industry averages, but this gives a less accurate result and is increasingly discouraged under emerging regional standards like CountEmissionsEU in the EU.