Do I need to measure downstream emissions?
Downstream emissions (Scope 3, Categories 9–15) are often difficult to calculate and are not always required in an emissions inventory.
Defining your emissions boundary
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The GHG Protocol only mandates reporting Scope 1 & 2 emissions.
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Scope 3 reporting is voluntary unless required by regulations or stakeholders (e.g., investors, customers).
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Companies may prioritize material Scope 3 sources that are more relevant to their operations.
- Refer to the relevance test here to understand which categories to include/exclude.
Key Challenges measuring downstream emissions:
1. Data Availability & Quality
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Companies often lack direct access to customer data on how products are used and disposed of.
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Many businesses rely on industry averages or assumptions, leading to uncertainty.
2. Complexity & Variability
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Emissions depend on how, where, and for how long customers use products.
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Different regions may have varying energy grids, disposal methods, and transportation systems.
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Some products (e.g., electronics, vehicles) have long lifetimes, making it hard to predict emissions over decades.
3. Control & Influence
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Businesses have limited control over how customers use and dispose of products.
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Unlike direct operations (Scope 1 & 2), downstream emissions are influenced by consumer behaviour, local regulations, and market trends.
4. Double Counting Issues
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Downstream emissions of one company may be upstream emissions for another.
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For example, a retailer’s downstream transportation emissions might be a logistics provider’s Scope 1 emissions.
5. Cost & Effort to Measure
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Gathering accurate data on product use and disposal requires extensive customer surveys, lifecycle analysis, and modelling.
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Many companies focus on more material emissions sources (e.g., upstream emissions) where they can make a greater impact.
Please talk to our Sustainability experts about which categories you should include in your boundary and how we can help.