Carbon Footprint

ESG

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, event, or product.

Sources

1. Greenhouse Gas Protocol — Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard ghgprotocol.org accessed 23 September 2026

There is no authority that defines “carbon footprint”, but there is a widely used accounting standard behind most credible figures, and knowing its boundaries is how you read one. The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard “provides requirements and guidance for companies and other organizations preparing a corporate-level GHG emissions inventory”. It is not carbon-only: it covers seven gases — “carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)” — so a “carbon” footprint is normally a carbon-dioxide-equivalent figure across all seven. It “was updated in 2015 with the Scope 2 Guidance, which allows companies to credibly measure and report emissions from purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat, and cooling.” Before comparing two footprints, establish which scopes each one counted.

What this source settles. Where the text above quotes a regulation or a statute, that instrument governs and its own later amendments prevail over any summary. Where it quotes an institution’s explanatory page or a standard-setter, it is authoritative for how the body understands its own regime and for the figures the body itself publishes — and not for whether the regime works. Read the instrument for obligations, and look beyond the issuer for evaluation.

Related terms

• Circular Economy
• CSDDD
• Environmental Social Governance
• Fair Trade Certification
• GOTS Certification
• Life Cycle Assessment

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).