Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur along an organization’s value chain, outside its own facilities and the energy it purchases. They cover a wide area ranging from purchased goods and services to logistics, from business travel to the use and end of life of the product.
In most organizations the largest share of the total carbon footprint is in Scope 3; it is also the scope for which data is hardest to collect, because the data sits not in the organization’s own records but with its suppliers and customers.
Scope 3 categories are divided into upstream and downstream. Not all categories are expected to be relevant for every organization; however, the relevant categories must be evaluated and any exclusions justified.
Related terms: Scope 1 and Scope 2 Emissions · Greenhouse Gas Inventory · Emission Factor
Related training: Corporate Carbon Footprint — ISO 14064-1