Carbon footprint training is aimed at teams that will build a greenhouse gas inventory at the organizational level and manage that inventory sustainably.
ISO 14064-1 is the international standard defining the requirements for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions at the organization level. In practice, it is used together with the GHG Protocol for calculation methodology.
This training focuses on where the real difficulty lies, ahead of the mathematics of the calculation: drawing the boundaries correctly, where and how the data will be collected, and documenting the result in a verifiable way.
Why does the inventory struggle?
Boundary decisions are not made upfront. Which facilities, which legal entities and which activities are included? If these decisions are changed later, comparability between years breaks down.
Data ownership is not defined. Fuel consumption sits with purchasing, the electricity bill with accounting, refrigerant top-ups with maintenance, vehicle mileage with administrative affairs. Without defined ownership, the inventory gets rebuilt from scratch every year.
The emission factor selection is not documented. If which factor comes from which source and which year is not recorded, the result cannot be verified.
Scope 3 is left undefined. If categories are excluded without being assessed, both customer requests go unmet and a justification problem arises in reporting.
The result turns into a one-off report. An inventory is not a single calculation but a repeatable process. An inventory that cannot be renewed annually has limited management value.
Who should attend?
- Project teams that will run the carbon footprint study
- Environment and energy management system officers
- Sustainability and reporting units
- Maintenance, production and facility management officers
- Purchasing and logistics teams
- Quality officers at suppliers who have received an emissions data request from their customer
There are no prerequisites. Basic environmental management knowledge makes participation easier.
Training Content
Fundamental concepts
- Greenhouse gases, global warming potential and CO₂ equivalent
- The difference between a corporate carbon footprint and a product carbon footprint
- The structure of the ISO 14064 series and its relationship with the GHG Protocol
- Principles: relevance, completeness, consistency, accuracy, transparency
Determining the boundaries
- Organizational boundaries: the control approach and the equity share approach
- Operational boundaries and the reporting boundary
- Choosing the base year and the recalculation policy
- The materiality threshold and justifying exclusions
Classifying emission sources
- Direct emissions (Scope 1): stationary combustion, mobile combustion, processes, fugitive emissions
- Emissions from imported energy (Scope 2): the location-based and market-based approaches
- Other indirect emissions (Scope 3): introducing the categories and prioritization
- Matching the ISO 14064-1 category structure with the GHG Protocol scope structure
Data collection
- Activity data sources and the data quality hierarchy
- Primary data, secondary data and estimation methods
- Building the data ownership matrix
- Setting up the data collection forms and calendar
- The path to follow when data is missing
Calculation
- Emission factor sources and selection criteria
- Documenting the factor selection and its traceability
- Setting up the calculation tables and control points
- Assessing uncertainty
- Frequently made calculation mistakes
Managing Scope 3
- Assessing the relevance and materiality of the categories
- Purchased goods and services, logistics, business travel, employee commuting
- Setting up data requests to suppliers
- Comparing spend-based and activity-based methods
Reporting and preparing for verification
- The content of the greenhouse gas report
- The structure of the evidence file and the chain of traceability
- The verification process and levels of assurance
- Questions typically asked by the verifier
- Setting up internal controls
Practical exercises
Participants make a boundary decision for a sample facility, build a source inventory, select factors and set up a calculation table. In in-house programmes the work is carried out using your own data.
Learning Outcomes
- Determining organizational and operational boundaries with justification
- Classifying emission sources into the correct scope
- Building the data collection system and the ownership matrix
- Selecting and documenting the emission factor
- Assessing and prioritizing Scope 3 categories
- Preparing a verifiable greenhouse gas report and evidence file
Scope and Boundaries
This training is built on the corporate (organization-level) carbon footprint. Product-based life cycle assessment (LCA) and the product carbon footprint calculation under ISO 14067 are outside the scope of this programme and are introduced only at a conceptual level.
The training is not a verification or assurance service. Verification of greenhouse gas declarations is within the authority of verification bodies accredited in this field.
Duration and Participation Options
Duration: 2 days in open-enrolment programmes. In in-house programmes, planned as 1–3 days depending on the scope and participant profile.
Level: Practitioner.
Participation type: Open enrolment or in-house.
Training method: In person, live online, on-demand recording.
Dates: Set according to demand.
Certificate of Attendance
Participants who complete the training receive a certificate of attendance. The certificate includes the participant’s name, training scope, date and duration. It can be used in your competence records.
- Sustainability and ESG Fundamentals Training
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Training
- ISO 50001 Energy Management System Training
- EcoVadis Preparation Training
- SAQ / S-Rating Preparation Training
- Data-Driven Decision Making and Statistical Thinking Training
Beyond Training: Implementation Support
- Structuring the boundary determination and base-year decision
- Building the emission source inventory
- Setting up the data collection system and the ownership matrix
- Building the calculation infrastructure
- Preparing the greenhouse gas report
- Reviewing the evidence file before verification
You can find out more about our consulting services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carbon Footprint Training
What is the difference between ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol? The GHG Protocol is a widely used calculation and reporting framework; ISO 14064-1 is a standard requirements document that provides a certifiable basis for verification. In practice, most organizations use the two together.
What do Scope 1, 2 and 3 mean? Scope 1 refers to direct emissions from the organization’s own sources, Scope 2 to indirect emissions from purchased energy, and Scope 3 to other indirect emissions across the value chain.
Are we obliged to calculate Scope 3? The relevant categories are expected to be assessed; a justification needs to be presented for excluded categories. Customer requests are also increasingly moving toward Scope 3 data.
Which scope do rented vehicles fall under? It depends on the control approach, the type of lease and your operational boundary decision. This type of boundary decision is addressed in detail through examples in the training.
Where do we get the emission factor from? National and international sources are used. What matters is that the chosen source, version and year are recorded and used consistently across years.
Are we obliged to have our inventory verified? The obligation depends on the regulation you’re subject to or the customer request. An unverified inventory can be used for internal management, but verification is increasingly required for external declarations.
Do we also learn the product carbon footprint? This training is organization-level. Product-based calculation and life cycle assessment are introduced conceptually; the calculation practice is out of scope.
Do we need to use software? A well-designed calculation table is sufficient for most organizations at the start. Software becomes meaningful as data volume and the number of facilities grow. The training explains a software-independent method.