Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions: Carbon Footprint Explained
Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 carbon emissions explained using a hotel example Imagine managing a hotel in Nigeria. Every month, you review two familiar bills: diesel for the generator and electricity purchased from the grid. They tell you something important about the hotel’s energy use, but do they tell you its entire carbon story? Not quite. Food has been grown and transported before it reaches the kitchen. Bed linen may be washed by an external laundry. Staff travel to work, and the hotel’s waste must be treated or disposed of. These activities can also generate greenhouse gas emissions, even when they do not come directly from the hotel’s own equipment. This is where carbon footprint measurement becomes more useful than simply checking fuel and electricity bills. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) groups organisational emissions into three categories: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 . Understanding the difference helps organisations build a clearer emissions invento...