When should I use this page instead of Electricity or Gas?

Only when the purchase is genuinely a support service (like T&D, mining support or fishing support services) rather than a direct electricity or gas supply, which should always go on the dedicated Electricity or Gas page instead.

How do I avoid coding the same spend to two activity pages?

Map each supplier or purchase-ledger code to one activity page only, and review that mapping periodically so a line item doesn't drift onto both this page and a more specific one.

Is there a physical unit alternative to spend here?

No - this page is spend-based only. If you can identify a physical quantity for the underlying activity, use the relevant dedicated activity page instead of this catch-all.

What kinds of suppliers typically fall under this category?

Support-service providers to industrial sectors, such as grid transmission and distribution operators, mining support contractors, fishing support services and gas distribution networks.

Why is a spend-based figure considered lower quality than a metered one?

Spend-based factors convert currency to emissions using an average economic intensity for that sector, which is far less precise than a metered physical quantity multiplied by a specific factor - use it only when a physical unit genuinely isn't available.

Activity data·Sector & specialist

How to measure emissions from Industrial activities

Industrial activities is a spend-based fallback for purchased industrial support services - electricity transmission and distribution, mining or fishing support, gas distribution - where none of the more specific activity pages fit, reported under Scope 3 Category 1. Use spend from supplier invoices, but check first whether Electricity, Gas or a materials page better matches the physical service you actually bought.

Scope: Scope 3 Category 1
What activity data you need: £ Spend
Activity data: Sector & specialist

What counts as Industrial activities

Spend-based industrial activity data for purchased industrial support services - such as electricity transmission and distribution, mining or fishing support services, and gas distribution - where the organisation procures these as a purchased service rather than metering the underlying physical activity itself. Used as a fallback when a more specific activity page (electricity, gas, water) doesn't fit the service purchased.

This is a Category 1 spend-based catch-all for industrial support services rather than a single well-defined physical activity; before using it, check whether a more specific activity page - electricity, gas, or a materials/manufacturing page - better matches what was purchased, since spend-based industrial factors carry more uncertainty than a metered or invoiced physical quantity.

How to collect the data

Use supplier invoices or purchase-ledger spend coded to the relevant industrial service category (£ or $ spend), ideally reconciled against your chart-of-accounts mapping so the same spend line isn't also captured under a more specific activity page.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

£ Spend

Which emission scope it falls under

Industrial activities activity data typically maps to Scope 3 Category 1 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Scope 3 Category 1

By emission scope

Scope 3 Category 1

Compliance frameworks

Compliance & reporting frameworks

Sub-types available in the platform

All 4 sub-types available in the platform.

Electricity: UK grid: Transmission and distribution
Fishing support services: Average: UK
Gaseous fuels: Average: UK: Distribution
Mining support services: Average: UK

Common questions

When should I use this page instead of Electricity or Gas?: Only when the purchase is genuinely a support service (like T&D, mining support or fishing support services) rather than a direct electricity or gas supply, which should always go on the dedicated Electricity or Gas page instead.
How do I avoid coding the same spend to two activity pages?: Map each supplier or purchase-ledger code to one activity page only, and review that mapping periodically so a line item doesn't drift onto both this page and a more specific one.
Is there a physical unit alternative to spend here?: No - this page is spend-based only. If you can identify a physical quantity for the underlying activity, use the relevant dedicated activity page instead of this catch-all.
What kinds of suppliers typically fall under this category?: Support-service providers to industrial sectors, such as grid transmission and distribution operators, mining support contractors, fishing support services and gas distribution networks.
Why is a spend-based figure considered lower quality than a metered one?: Spend-based factors convert currency to emissions using an average economic intensity for that sector, which is far less precise than a metered physical quantity multiplied by a specific factor - use it only when a physical unit genuinely isn't available.

Next step

Start benchmarking your Industrial activities footprint

Apply matching emission factors in Compare Your Footprint and compare your footprint against sector peers.

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Related in this cluster·Sector & specialist