An organization's carbon footprint (corporate carbon footprint) is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with its activities over a reporting period, usually a calendar year. It is expressed in tons of CO₂ equivalent (t CO₂e) and calculated according to recognized rules, above all the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1. The calculation shows where the company uses energy and resources with the greatest climate impact and helps it respond to requests from banks, customers and regulators.
What makes up a carbon footprint
An organization's emissions are usually divided into three scopes:
- Scope 1: direct emissions from the company's own sources, such as gas burned in a boiler house, fuel burned in vehicles, and industrial processes.
- Scope 2: indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat and steam; they occur at the power plant but are caused by your consumption.
- Scope 3: other indirect emissions across the value chain, such as purchasing, transportation, use of sold products and so on.
For more about the boundaries, see Scope 1, 2 and 3. Not only CO₂ is counted, but also methane, nitrous oxide and other gases, converted to a common unit using the global warming potential; see Greenhouse gases and CO₂ equivalent.
How it is calculated: activity data × emission factor
The basic formula is simple: emissions = activity data × emission factor. Activity data is the amount of energy and fuel consumed, taken from invoices, certificates of completion and meter readings. The emission factor shows how much CO₂e is released per unit of a resource.
A worked example: we use emission factors of 0.726 kg CO₂e/kWh for grid electricity and 2.04 kg CO₂e/m³ for natural gas.
| Resource | Annual consumption | Emission factor | Emissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas (Scope 1) | 50,000 m³ | 2.04 kg/m³ | 102.0 t CO₂e |
| Electricity (Scope 2) | 400,000 kWh | 0.726 kg/kWh | 290.4 t CO₂e |
| Total | 392.4 t CO₂e |
Even a calculation this simple shows that, for this business, electricity accounts for almost three-quarters of emissions, so energy efficiency measures should start there.
Why calculate your carbon footprint
- Market requirements. Customers in the EU are asking for data on the embedded emissions of products, including in connection with CBAM.
- Finance. Banks and investors assess borrowers' climate risks and their own financed emissions.
- Cost management. An emissions inventory is essentially an energy audit: it shows which facilities and resources account for the main burden.
- Climate projects. Accurate accounting of a facility's emissions is the foundation of the baseline for emission reduction projects.
- National regulation. In Uzbekistan, Law No. ZRU-1073 “On Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions” is in force (effective January 9, 2026); in Belarus, the environmental norms and rules EcoNiP 17.09.08-001-2024 apply; for details, see greenhouse gas accounting in Belarus.
Where to start
- Determine which legal entities and facilities fall within the inventory: your organizational boundaries.
- Draw up a list of sources: boiler houses, vehicles, purchased energy.
- Collect monthly consumption data for the year, along with supporting documents.
- Choose emission factors and calculate Scope 1 and Scope 2.
- Check the data, prepare the report and, if needed, submit it for verification.
How it works in the platform
Everything starts with facilities: you add them with the New facility wizard, and the full list is kept in the Facilities section. Then, on the Data entry screen, you enter Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 (categories 1–14) data month by month for each facility, together with supporting documents; the platform takes emission factors and methodologies from its reference catalog. Company GHG analytics shows totals by year, region and month, and the administrator creates the annual company report in PDF and DOCX on the organization's GHG page.
Frequently asked questions
How is an organization's carbon footprint different from a product carbon footprint?
An organization's footprint covers all of the company's activities over a year, while a product footprint covers emissions per unit of product over its life cycle. Products are covered by a separate standard, ISO 14067:2018; organizations by ISO 14064-1:2018 and the GHG Protocol.
Do we have to calculate Scope 3 from the start?
No. Most companies start with Scope 1 and 2, where the data is in their own invoices. Scope 3 is added later, starting with the most significant categories.
What period should a carbon footprint cover?
Usually a calendar year, with data collected monthly. Monthly accounting makes checks easier and helps you spot errors and gaps in time.