What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is an international public and private sector standard used to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions. It was first used in 1998, but since the 2015 Paris Agreement, the standard has expanded to include multiple standards and tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The basic purpose of the standard is to help organizations identify, understand and manage the emissions of the following greenhouse gases.
1.Carbon dioxide (CO2)
2. methane (CH4)
3. nitrous oxide (N2O)
4. sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
5. hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
6. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)

When reporting this standard, these gases are converted to carbon dioxide equivalents, and then the emissions are divided into three "scopes".

Scope 1
Scope 1 includes the emissions that occur directly in the company's own operations . For example, from production in own factories.

Scope 2
Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from the production of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by the reporting company.

Scope 3
Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in a company's value chain but which the company does not own or control. Scope 3 is voluntary to report and it is in scope 3 that it is very difficult for many companies to get a comprehensive picture. For most companies, this is also where the majority of all emissions come from.