As ESG reporting is becoming mandatory for most companies, especially in Europe under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directives, companies are striving to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to enhance their sustainability performance. GHG) emissions accounting is also a key aspect of ESG reporting. However, in order for companies to report their GHG emissions, they need to have appropriate data.
In this post, I will guide you on how to calculate emissions using emission factors and activity data by following these steps:
- Identify the activity for which you want to calculate emissions. This could be burning a specific type of fuel, using a particular process or equipment, or performing a specific type of activity that generates emissions.
- Determine the appropriate emission factor for the activity. An emission factor is a conversion factor that quantifies the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a particular activity. Emission factors are often published by government agencies, industry associations, or other authoritative sources.
- Gather the activity data. You’ll need to gather data on the activity level associated with the emissions. For example, if you’re calculating emissions from burning fuel, you’ll need to know how much fuel was burned during the reporting period.
- Calculate the emissions. To calculate the emissions associated with the activity, simply multiply the activity data by the appropriate emission factor. For example, if you burned 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel during the reporting period, and the emission factor for diesel fuel is 22.4 pounds of CO2 per gallon, then the emissions from burning diesel fuel would be 22,400 pounds of CO2.
- Convert the emissions to the appropriate unit of measure. Depending on the reporting requirements or the standard you’re using, you may need to convert the emissions to a different unit of measure. For example, you may need to convert pounds of CO2 to metric tons, or to another greenhouse gas such as methane or nitrous oxide.
- Repeat the process for multiple activities. If you have multiple activities that generate emissions, you’ll need to repeat the above steps for each activity, and then sum up the emissions from all relevant activities to obtain the total emissions for the reporting period.
Considering this process, it is important that you first create a quality and complete inventory of your activity data. Remember that the accuracy of your emissions calculations will depend on the quality of your data, the appropriateness of your emission factors, and the completeness of your emissions inventory. If you would like to be assisted with creating a quality and complete inventory of your activity data and calculating, feel free to contact me using the contact form below:
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