Carbon inventories—sometimes called corporate carbon footprints—measure all the GHG emissions your organization produces, both directly and indirectly. And with mandatory reporting frameworks like the TCFD, CDP, and CSRD gaining momentum, knowing your emissions profile isn’t just smart—it’s becoming non-negotiable.
What Is a Corporate Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint is a structured accounting of your GHG emissions across three key areas:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (e.g. natural gas, company vehicles)
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy (e.g. electricity, heat, steam)
- Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across your value chain (e.g. business travel, product use, supplier emissions)
Scopes 1 and 2 are often where companies begin—but Scope 3 is where the real insight (and responsibility) lies. For most companies, Scope 3 accounts for over 70% of emissions.
Why Small and Mid-Sized Firms Should Care Now
Whether you’re an architecture firm, a logistics company, or a manufacturing supplier, the pressure to measure emissions isn’t just regulatory—it’s commercial. Large clients are pushing GHG data requirements down the supply chain. Financial institutions are evaluating portfolios based on climate exposure. And employees and customers increasingly demand transparency.
Bottom line: if you don’t track your emissions, you can’t prove you’re improving.
The Business Value of Getting It Right
A high-quality carbon inventory can:
- Enable goal setting (e.g. net-zero or Science Based Targets)
- Unlock new markets where climate disclosure is mandatory
- Highlight operational inefficiencies with financial upside
- Strengthen investor, client, and employee trust
But rushed or underdeveloped inventories can undermine credibility. It’s crucial to follow best practices like those in the GHG Protocol and ensure transparency around data sources, assumptions, and methodologies.
How ECG Helps You Measure—and Manage—Your Emissions
At ECG Global Solutions, we support companies of all sizes in developing complete, accurate, and audit-ready carbon inventories. Whether you’re preparing for voluntary reporting or anticipating future mandates from the SEC or EU, we ensure you’re prepared.
We also go beyond compliance. Our inventories give you the insights needed to prioritize reduction opportunities, allocate sustainability budgets effectively, and communicate your environmental impact with confidence.
It’s not just about carbon counting—it’s about carbon clarity.
