Consumer scope emissions: How to identify and manage your scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions at home.
Many people are becoming more sustainability-conscious and want to reduce their carbon footprint. But it’s not always clear how to account for the climate impact of our day-to-day choices. Understanding the concept of consumer scope emissions 1, 2, and 3 can provide a framework for consumers to calculate and manage their full greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints.
What Are Consumer Scope Emissions 1, 2, and 3?
The scope framework is commonly used to categorize GHG emissions for companies and organizations. It can also be applied to consumer scope emissions footprints:
Scope 1 Emissions – Direct GHG emissions from sources owned or directly controlled by the consumer. The biggest component here is emissions from fuel combustion in vehicles you own, such as a gasoline car. Home gas usage for heating/cooking and emissions from small equipment like lawnmowers also fall under scope 1.
Scope 2 Emissions – Indirect emissions from electricity, steam, or heat purchased by the consumer. While the actual emissions physically occur at the utility or generation source, they are considered scope 2 emissions for the end consumer. For most consumers, the main scope 2 emissions stem from purchased electricity used in your home.
Scope 3 Emissions – All other indirect emissions associated with the activities of the consumer that occur across the value chain. These include:
- Transportation in vehicles you don’t own – eg. planes, trains, buses, taxis
- Manufacturing & production of goods you purchase
- Transportation, distribution & retail of products bought
- Waste disposal and treatment from products you use
- Extraction, production, and transportation of fuels purchased
- Electricity transmission and distribution losses from the grid
For consumers, scope 3 often represents the largest share of our carbon footprint due to the emissions embedded in the goods, services, and activities that make up our lifestyles.
Why Should Consumers Care About Scope 3?
While scope 1 and 2 emissions from vehicles and home energy use are conceptually easier to grasp, scope 3 emissions largely occur “behind the scenes” from activities like manufacturing, shipping, driving by others, etc. But even though scope 3 emissions aren’t directly released by the consumer, they are connected to our choices as customers.
We fundamentally live in a carbon intensive economy, so the purchasing decisions we make result in emissions being released across supply chains and economic systems – even if we don’t directly see the smokestack. For consumers aspiring to reduce their climate impacts, assessing scope 3 emissions is crucial to identify the biggest opportunities to lower footprints.
For example, while switching to an electric vehicle can virtually eliminate tailpipe emissions, a single cross-country flight can dwarf those savings with the massive scope 3 emissions from high-altitude aviation. Only by accounting for scope 3 emissions can consumers make choices and trade-offs to truly minimize their full consumer scope emissions footprints.
How Can People Calculate Consumer Scope Emissions?
Luckily, a growing number of online tools and mobile apps are available to help people estimate their Consumer Scope Emissions 1, 2 and 3:
- Wren – Allows you to estimate your carbon footprint by inputting home energy use, transportation modes, flights taken, shopping habits, diet, and more. Breaks down your emissions by scope.
- CoolClimate Carbon Footprint Calculator – Estimates your footprint based on location, home energy, car make/model, and daily habits. Provides estimate of scope 1, 2 and 3 breakdown.
- Cloverly Carbon Calculator – Estimates emissions from air travel, driving, home energy, and more. Lets you directly offset your footprint through certified projects.
- Mint Carbon – Syncs with your financial transactions to automatically detect and calculate emissions from spending. Covers scope 3 emissions from air travel, streaming services, shopping, food delivery, and more.
- SustLynn – An app focused on lower carbon lifestyles, with tips to reduce emissions through plant-based eating, sustainable shopping, active transport, and waste reduction.
These tools vary in methodology but provide consumers with the ability to better understand their Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions profile based on their household and lifestyle. Over time, consumers can use these apps to set reduction goals and track progress lowering their consumer scope emissions footprints.
Strategies to Manage Consumer Scope Emissions
Once you’ve calculated your emissions breakdown across the scopes, here are some tips to manage your footprint:
- Switch to renewable energy options available through your utility to reduce scope 2 emissions from home electricity.
- Increase energy efficiency wherever possible – insulate your home, upgrade to LED lights, and purchase EnergyStar-certified appliances.
- Walk, bike, carpool, or take public transport instead of driving solo to lower scope 1 and 3 transportation emissions.
- Reduce air travel when possible and consider options like video conferencing instead.
- Buy local in-season foods to reduce scope 3 emissions from long-distance transport and refrigeration.
- Consider the lifecycle emissions of products you buy – purchase goods made sustainably from low-carbon materials.
- Cut waste by reducing and reusing before recycling – diversion decreases scope 3 waste emissions.
- Eat more plant-based meals to lower the scope 3 emissions of meat production.
Armed with knowledge of your scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions profile, you can find ways to pare down your consumer scope emissions footprint through daily choices as a consumer. Small tweaks can accumulate to meaningful emissions reductions while saving money and improving your health. By understanding your full climate impact beyond just your home and vehicle, you gain the power to create positive change.
