Carbon Footprint Scope 1, 2 and 3: What Actually Falls Under Each

Scope 1 covers emissions from sources your business directly owns or operates — a diesel generator running on site, company vehicles, or any fuel burned directly by your own equipment. This is the most straightforward scope to measure, since it's based on fuel actually consumed on site or by owned assets.

Scope 2 covers emissions associated with the electricity you purchase from the grid — even though the actual emissions happen at the power plant, not at your site, they're attributed to your business because you're the one consuming that electricity. This is where live meter data becomes directly relevant to carbon calculation.

Scope 3 covers indirect emissions across your broader value chain — supplier emissions, employee commuting, business travel, waste disposal — and is by far the hardest to measure accurately, since much of the data isn't directly in your control. Most businesses starting carbon reporting focus first on getting Scope 1 and 2 right before attempting a full Scope 3 accounting.