Glossary term
Scope 1 Emissions
Subject: Sustainability and ESG, Climate Risk
Also known as: Direct emissions, Direct GHG emissions
Scope 1 emissions are greenhouse gases released directly from sources that an organisation owns or controls, such as boilers, furnaces, company vehicles and process leaks.
Explanation
Under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 1 is the first of three categories and the easiest to measure, since the firm holds the fuel records and meters. It covers burning fuel on site, fuel used in company-owned vehicles, emissions from chemical and industrial processes, and fugitive releases such as refrigerant or methane leaks. What counts as owned or controlled depends on the boundary the firm chooses, by financial control, operational control or equity share. Regulations and emissions trading schemes usually target Scope 1 first, because these are the emissions a firm can cut directly. Gases are converted to carbon dioxide equivalent for reporting. These are the emissions a firm can cut directly, so carbon costs and regulation usually reach them first.
Example
A bakery chain runs gas ovens in 200 shops, a fleet of 60 delivery vans and commercial refrigeration. Its Scope 1 figure adds the gas burned, the diesel used and an estimate of refrigerant topped up during the year. The refrigerant is small by volume but adds noticeably to the total because of its strong warming effect.
Not to be confused with
- Scope 2 Emissions
- Scope 1 is released at the firm's own sources. Scope 2 is released elsewhere, at the power plant supplying its electricity or heat.