Emissions basics: Scope 1, 2 and 3
A simple explanation of the three emission scopes and where your activities sit.
When a partner or buyer asks for your emissions figures, you will usually hear the terms "Scope 1", "Scope 2" and "Scope 3". The classification is simpler than it sounds: the idea is to group emissions by their source and how much control you have over them.
Scope 1: what you burn directly
Emissions from sources your facility owns or controls:
- Fuel for your company's cars and fleet (petrol, diesel, gas).
- Backup diesel generators.
- Any direct combustion in your operations (furnaces, fuel-fired boilers).
Where do you reduce it? Converting the fleet to electric vehicles moves this part from Scope 1 to Scope 2 — where it becomes easier to reduce further with solar.
Scope 2: the electricity you buy
Indirect emissions from the electricity you buy from the grid. You burn nothing on your site, but the power plant produced emissions to generate what you consumed.
Where do you reduce it? Every kWh you produce from the sun on your roof is a kWh you don't buy from the grid — that is the direct Scope 2 impact of any solar project.
Scope 3: everything else in the value chain
The widest and hardest scope to measure: emissions from your suppliers, transporting your products, employee commuting, and even your customers' use of your products. Most companies start by measuring Scopes 1 and 2 well before approaching Scope 3.
Where to start, practically?
- Gather electricity bills (Scope 2) and fuel records (Scope 1) for the last 12 months.
- Convert them into emissions using recognised emission factors — our tools use the IFI Harmonized Grid Emission Factors, v2.0 (2019), combined margin for solar, Egypt.
- Document the methodology: any figure without a documented calculation method loses its value under review.
In short
What isn't measured isn't managed. Start with Scopes 1 and 2, document your methodology, and you will find that solar and electric-mobility projects automatically turn into figures you can report. Try the Emissions Estimator on our site to see an indicative estimate of your potential project's impact.