Laura Bowler
October 5, 2022
What are “scope 4” emissions and why should I care?
As if three scopes for greenhouse-gas emissions were not enough, conversations around scope 4 are beginning to pick up. In this article, our expert Laura Bowler gives you a crash course on these ‘newer’ emissions and helps you understand if they are right for your company.
- Scope 1: Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled by an organization
- Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions associated with the organization’s energy use (the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling)
- Scope 3: Indirect emissions resulting from activities from assets contained in an organization’s value chain (upstream or downstream activities)
Companies can use avoided emissions to reflect impacts that would not be picked up in a traditional greenhouse gas inventory. However, because these emissions are separate, they cannot be used to offset or reduce scopes 1, 2 and 3.
- They allow a company to tell a positive story about their environmental impact, which can help strengthen a company’s reputation (to consumers, suppliers, employees, etc.)
- They can provide a competitive advantage in tough sustainability markets
- They can guide companies in making decisions
Want to know more?
Laura Bowler
Manager