Scope 3 for Beginners

A practical starting point for Scope 3: what it is, which categories to prioritize, and how to build a program that improves over time (not perfection theater).

CollectionCore

Why Scope 3 Matters

Scope 3 is usually the biggest slice of emissions for many organizations—but it's also the most confusing because:

  • It spans suppliers, services, travel, commuting, waste, logistics, leased assets, and more
  • Data is inconsistent and often outside your direct control
  • Teams get stuck trying to be "perfect" and never ship anything credible

This collection is designed to help beginners: understand Scope 3 in plain English, pick the right starting categories, and build an improvement program that becomes more accurate over time.

What Scope 3 Is (Plain English)

Scope 3 includes emissions from activities you influence but don't directly control, such as:

Suppliers

What your suppliers do to produce goods/services.

Travel and Commuting

Business travel and employee commuting.

Waste

Waste handling and disposal.

Leased Assets

Leased buildings (landlord or tenant).

Transportation and Distribution

Upstream and downstream logistics.

Key idea: Scope 3 is a program, not a one-time calculation.

Start Here (Best Order)

If you are new, do this in order:

  1. 1Scope 3 in Plain English (if you're real estate, start here)
  2. 2Which categories first (prioritize by materiality and practicality)
  3. 32-week screening sprint (build a credible first pass quickly)
  4. 4Supplier engagement (improve data quality over time)
  5. 5Add specific categories as needed (Travel, Commuting, Waste, Logistics)

If You Only Do One Thing

Run a 2-week Scope 3 screening sprint and publish:

  • A prioritized category list
  • Your boundary and assumptions
  • A plan to improve quality over time

That is the fastest credible starting point. Start with the Scope 3 Screening Playbook.

Core Scope 3 Resources

1

Vendor Requirements Playbook (Data Readiness + Carbon Asks)

Standardize vendor asks without vendor revolt: minimum requirements, escalation, and reusable templates.

Playbook
45 min
2

Scope 3 in Plain English (RE Edition)

What it is, why it's hard, and how to do it without getting stuck.

Guide
20 min
3

Scope 3 Screening Playbook (2-Week)

Get a credible shortlist fast: top categories + top suppliers + a 90-day plan.

Playbook
2 weeks
4

Supplier Engagement Starter Pack

Request Scope 3 inputs without vendor revolt: start low-friction, track responses, and improve over time.

Playbook
45 min
5

Scope 3 for Real Estate: Which Categories First?

A practical prioritization guide: pick the first 2–4 categories that matter and are feasible.

Guide
Reference
20 min

Category Starter Kits (Add as Needed)

These are the most common "next adds" after screening. Pick based on your category prioritization.

Category 6 Starter Kit: Business Travel

Use expense/booking data to estimate travel emissions and identify reduction levers.

60-90 min

Category 7 Starter Kit: Employee Commuting

Use survey or modeled methods to estimate commuting emissions.

60-90 min

Category 5 Starter Kit: Waste

Estimate waste emissions and build a vendor + process improvement loop.

60-90 min

Category 3 Starter Kit: Fuel and Energy Not in Scope 1 or 2

Estimate upstream fuel and energy emissions with beginner-safe methods.

45-60 min

Category 4 Starter Kit: Upstream Transportation and Distribution

Estimate logistics emissions using carrier data or spend-based methods.

60 min

Leased Assets (Special Note)

If you're in real estate, leased assets are often the biggest Scope 3 driver:

  • Cat 8You as tenant / lessee
  • Cat 13You as landlord / lessor

You have a dedicated collection for that: Leased Assets Collection

Tools and Calculators (Ungated)

Supplier Engagement Coverage Tracker

Track supplier coverage by spend and data quality mix.

Templates You Can Copy (High-Use)

These templates exist inside the resources above; pull them into your Template Vault:

  • Scope 3 category prioritization table (materiality × feasibility)
  • Supplier outreach email templates
  • Data quality ladder (proxy → estimated → measured)
  • Supplier engagement tracker (spend coverage + response + quality)

Common Mistakes (Avoid These)

  • Trying to model every category in year one (you'll ship nothing)
  • Prioritizing by "easiest to calculate" instead of materiality + feasibility
  • Asking suppliers for "full GHG inventory" immediately (they ignore you)
  • Treating proxy methods as shameful (proxy is fine if documented)
  • No quality improvement plan (proxy becomes permanent)
  • Publishing a number without boundary and limitations (invites scrutiny)

What to Do Next

Pick the next collection based on your situation:

Leased Assets Collection

If leased buildings are your biggest Scope 3 driver.

Scope 2 Electricity (Made Simple)

If you need Scope 2 done first before Scope 3.

Back to Scope 3 Made Practical

Change log

v1.0 (2026-01): Latest release