The Cozero category Operational water management covers emissions from the supply and treatment of water to the company. Emissions from water use are associated with the energy use from supplying water and from the wastewater treatment processes. These emissions are classified under scope 3, because they occur in the individual water utilities that supply water to the institutions or treat the wastewater they discard.
A reporting company’s scope 3 emissions from Operational water management derive from the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions of water supply and wastewater management companies.
How this Category aligns to carbon accounting standards
The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard is an internationally recognized go-to standard for estimating and reporting corporate GHG emissions. GHG emissions are categorised into three 'Scopes'. For further information see here.
Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions – not included in scope 2 – that occur in the value chain of the reporting company. In other words, the emissions that are linked to the company’s operations. Activities covered by scope 3 emissions are diverse, but sit in two high level categories:
Upstream emissions are indirect emissions related to purchased or acquired goods and services (all the emissions occurring to the point of receipt by the company: material sourcing and pre-processing)
Downstream emissions are indirect emissions related to sold goods and services (all the emissions occurring after being sold by the reporting company: distribution, storage, use, end-of-life)
The Cozero category Operational water management is an upstream source of scope 3 emissions, as defined by the GHG Protocol. All emission calculation methodologies follow the requirements for this scope of emission accounting.
Scope of emissions source
Summary of calculation methods
Here are the different calculation methods available on the Log to calculate scope 3 emissions from Operational water management. This covers water supply and wastewater treatment.
These methods are listed in order of how accurate the methodology is, according to accounting methods. Users should choose the method that is the most appropriate to the data available to them, to their business goals and the significance of the emissions of the category.
Volume of water
Emissions are estimated by collecting data on the volume of water during supply or wastewater treatment, and multiplying this by the relevant emission factor.
Activity data: quantity of water generated within the reporting period in tonnes. The Log provides conversion of other units.
Emission factor: the Log is providing a default cradle-to-gate emission factor for water (kgCO2e/liter) but users can also enter supplier-specific emission factors.
How to report emissions on Cozero?
Step 1: Select the “Log” called “Operational water management”
Step 2: Select the sub-category you want to report on (e.g. Waste Water, Water Supply)
Step 3: Enter the volume of water, and enter log
Step 4: (If available, amend the emission factor with your own supplier-specific emission factor)
Direct emission Input
Users can enter the amount of emissions in CO2e directly in the log. They need to make sure of the accuracy of data used in this estimation.
Activity Data:
Internal data systems (e.g. bill of materials)
Water provider
Supplier-Specific Emission Factors: It is possible for users to customize the emission factors used to calculate emissions. Most of the time, it is recommended to customize the emission factors if you can obtain emission factors from your suppliers. Supplier-specific data is the most accurate because it relates to the specific activity purchased by the reporting company (e.g. electricity, goods and services, etc.).
Users may send survey to the relevant suppliers requesting the following information:
Product life cycle GHG emissions data (following the GHG Protocol Product Standard)
A description of the methodologies used to quantify the emissions and a description of the data sources used (e.g. emission factors)
Whether the data has been assured or verified and, if so, the type of assurance achieved (preference should be given to verified data)
Ratio of primary and secondary data used to calculate the emission factor
If possible, the data provided by the supplier should be for the same time interval as the company’s inventory.
Note that data quality is an iterative process and should be built over time. Therefore there is no need to have the perfect data right away. For more information on data collection see the article on data sourcing.
FAQ
For additional information on the calculation of scope 3 emissions, users can refer to the GHG Protocol Guidance. Please get in touch with our team if there is a frequent need to make use of this Log emission category and you require additional support in the calculation of emissions