Carbon Footprint Audit: How to Measure & Report Your Business Emissions

A carbon footprint audit measures the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions your business is responsible for. It is the essential first step before setting reduction targets, reporting to stakeholders, or pursuing net zero — you cannot manage what you have not measured.

Follow the GHG Protocol

The globally accepted method is the GHG Protocol, which organises emissions into three scopes:

• Scope 1 — Direct: Fuel burned on-site, company vehicles, and process emissions.
• Scope 2 — Indirect energy: Purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling.
• Scope 3 — Value chain: Suppliers, logistics, business travel, product use, and waste. Usually the largest and hardest to measure.

Step-by-Step Audit

• Step 1 — Set boundaries: Decide which facilities, entities, and scopes to include.
• Step 2 — Collect activity data: Fuel bills, electricity consumption, travel logs, and procurement data.
• Step 3 — Apply emission factors: Convert activity data into CO2-equivalent using recognised factors.
• Step 4 — Calculate & consolidate: Total emissions by scope and source.
• Step 5 — Report & verify: Document methodology; third-party verification adds credibility.

Common Pitfalls

Ignoring Scope 3, using outdated emission factors, and inconsistent boundaries year to year all undermine the result. Consistency is what makes progress measurable.

Statura conducts rigorous carbon footprint audits and builds the net-zero roadmaps and ESG strategies that follow.