The term carbon footprint is commonly used to describe the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for which an individual or organisation is responsible.

Establishing the carbon footprint of an organisation can be the first step in a programme to reduce these emissions.

The full footprint of an organisation encompasses a wide range of emissions sources from direct use of fuels to indirect impacts such as employee travel or emissions from other organisations up and down the supply chain. When calculating an organisation’s footprint it is important to try and quantify as full a range of emissions sources as possible in order to provide a complete picture of the organisation’s impact.

More background information on carbon footprinting is available from the Carbon Trust Carbon Footprinting Guide.

The Q&As on this site also provide some background information.

Calculating your carbon footprint

The Carbon Trust also provides an online carbon footprint calculator.

The Envirowise Indicator, an interactive web-based tool, gives an indication of the amount of carbon that would be generated for your use of resources.

Other more sophisticated footprinting tools are also available commercially.

Greenhouse Gas Protocol 

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is the most widely used international accounting tool to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG protocol provides a standard and guidance for organisations preparing a GHG emissions inventory. 

Carbon Saving

The Carbon Trust provides carbon saving advice for organisations – by sector.