What are downstream supply chain emissions?

Hi, I’m Barbara, the Co-CEO of 100% Renewables, a consultancy specialising in the development of Climate Action strategies. And in today’s video, I’ll be talking about scope 3 emission sources.

And now, let’s have a look at downstream emissions.

9. Downstream transportation and distribution – this emission source comes from the transportation and distribution of products that you sell to your end-consumers
10. Processing of sold products - This category includes emissions from the processing of products that you have sold to third parties (not the end-user) who use your products in their manufacturing.
11. Use of sold products – these are emissions that are caused by using your final product. Say you were manufacturing laptops. This emission source would be the electricity consumption of your laptops.
12. End-of-life treatment of sold products. Sadly, most products that we use end up as waste, and this emission source is the carbon emissions caused by landfilling or incineration.
13. Downstream leased assets - This category includes emissions from the operation of assets that you own and lease to other businesses that are not already included in your scope 1 or scope 2 inventory.
14. Franchises - This category includes emissions from the operation of franchises not included in your scope 1 or scope 2 inventory.
15. Investments - This category includes emissions associated with your investments that are not already included in your scope 1 or scope 2 inventory. Category 15 is primarily designed for banks.

While this list can be a bit overwhelming, not all emission sources will be relevant. It’s important to prioritise your data collection efforts and focus on your most significant and relevant emission sources. You can ask questions such as whether you expect the emission source to be large relative to your scope 1 and scope 2 sources, or whether you have influence over the activity, or whether your stakeholders deem the emission source relevant.