About us
About Carbon Accounting
Enabling and accelerating the transition to net zero manufacturing is essential if UK manufacturing is to remain competitive in the global markets.
Manufacturing and construction are responsible for 12% of the UK’s territorial emissions but this figure increases to 43% if consumption emissions are included. Consumption emissions include all emissions associated with the products and services consumed within a country, regardless of where those products were manufactured.
The reduction of emissions associated with the supply chain (known as upstream Scope 3 emissions) is a significant challenge for UK industry.
What is carbon accounting?
Carbon accounting is a means of quantifying the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are produced as a result of a business’ activities or processes, or by the manufacture of products. By quantifying these emissions, manufacturing businesses are better able to make informed decisions on their strategy to decarbonise their operations, processes and supply chains.
Creating a common carbon accounting framework
There is currently no standardised approach for carbon accounting of Scopes 1, 2 and upstream Scope 3. Instead, there is a conflicting range of standards, protocols and requirements for businesses to navigate, leading to inconsistent carbon reporting techniques and outputs.
As a result, manufacturers at all stages of the supply chain face a huge administrative burden in terms of time and cost required to account for their Scope 1, 2 and upstream Scope 3 emissions, and comparison between businesses and products is impossible for the consumer.
The Carbon Accounting Programme is building on the strengths of the best standards and techniques, working alongside industry and policymakers, to create a unified framework that is suitable for all UK manufacturers.
How we’re tackling carbon accounting
We are leading a cross-Catapult programme to establish a standardised framework for carbon accounting for UK manufacturing; for Scope 1, 2 and upstream Scope 3 emission for manufacturers of all sectors, sizes and products.