Emissions Inventory

An emissions inventory is a systematic and quantified record of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by an organisation, territory, project or product over a defined period of time. It forms the foundation for climate accounting, target setting and sustainability reporting.

Objectives

• Transparency and accountability.
• Identification of hotspots for mitigation actions.
• Regulatory compliance and participation in carbon markets.

Regulatory and Methodological Frameworks

• GHG Protocol – Corporate Standard (Scopes 1, 2 and 3).
• ISO 14064-1: specifications for quantification and reporting.
• IPCC Guidelines for national inventories.

Development Process

1. Definition of organisational boundaries (equity share, control, operational approach).
2. Collection of activity data: fuels, kWh, kilometres, tonnes.
3. Application of emission factors: Defra, EPA, IPCC, IEA.
4. Calculation and consolidation (CO₂e).
5. Internal or external verification (ISAE 3410).
6. Reporting in CDP, TCFD or ESG disclosures.

Key Indicators

• Carbon intensity: t CO₂e/revenue, t CO₂e/unit.
• Percentage of primary data coverage.
• Emissions projections (Business as Usual vs. reduction scenario).

Benefits

• Risk management: anticipating carbon costs and supply-chain disruptions.
• Reduction strategy: SBTi targets, product and operational decarbonisation.
• Investor transparency: improved MSCI and Sustainalytics scores.

Challenges

• Data quality for Scope 3.
• Internal resources required to collect and manage information.
• Methodological changes requiring historical dataset revisions.

Digitalisation and the Future

• IoT and ERP platforms for real-time data.
• Blockchain for traceability in low-carbon supply chains.
• Automated emission factors via public APIs.

A precise emissions inventory is the starting point for corporate climate management, net-zero target setting and credible communication with stakeholders.