How to measure emissions from Information technology

What counts as Information technology

Information technology covers IT hardware, telecoms equipment and related purchased goods and services used by the organisation — laptops, tablets, smartphones, monitors, routers and IT services such as software development or data hosting — beyond the generic computer purchases tracked separately. It's reported under Scope 3 Category 1, and because the taxonomy holds device-specific factors for many named products, it rewards asset-register-level detail rather than blended spend.

Information technology is the detailed sibling of Computers: where Computers holds generic average factors for basic computer equipment, Information technology holds model-specific entries for many common devices — named laptops, tablets and smartphones from major manufacturers, plus routers and broader IT services like software development and data hosting. Use this category whenever you can identify the specific product purchased; fall back to the generic Computers category, or a spend-based estimate, when you only know that "IT equipment" was bought without further detail. IT services — software development, data hosting and telecommunications — are activity data too, typically tracked by spend rather than unit count, since there's no physical unit to measure. Refurbished and end-of-life equipment is tracked separately from new purchases, so keep refurbished IT hardware flagged if your procurement policy favours it.

What activity data you need

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

• tonne
• Unit
• £ Spend
• $ Spend

Which emission scope it falls under

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

Sub-types / categories covered

• Computers: Average
• Computers: Average: UK
• Data hosting and processing: UK
• Desktop: Apple: iMac (24-inch): Average
• Electronic and optical products: Average: UK
• I.T. electrical items
• I.T. equipment: Refurbished: ESCL
• I.T. equipment: Refurbished: KVH
• I.T. services: General
• Laptop: Apple: MacBook Pro (14-inch): Average
• Laptop: Apple: MacBook Pro (16-inch): Average
• Laptop: Average
• Laptop: Dell Latitude 5510
• Laptop: Microsoft Surface
• Laptop: Microsoft Surface Pro 7
• Monitor: Average
• Monitor: HP 24"
• Publishing: Software: UK
• Router: Broadband SAS: Sagemcom: End of Life
• Router: Sagemcom: Broadband SAS: Annual use
• Router: Sagemcom: Broadband SAS: Lifetime use
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (DGA0122GOM): Annual use
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (DGA0122GOM): End of Life
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (DGA0122GOM): Lifetime use
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (TG789VAC): Annual use
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (TG789VAC): End of Life
• Router: Technicolor: Access Gateway (TG789VAC): Lifetime use
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone 13 Pro Max: Average
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone 13 Pro: Average
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone 13: Average
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone 14 Pro Max: Average
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone 14 Pro: Average
• Smartphone: Apple: iPhone SE: Average
• Smartphone: iPhone: Average
• Software development services: UK
• Spare telecommunication parts: Macrotek Ltd
• Tablet: Apple: iPad 9th Generation: Average
• Tablet: Apple: iPad mini (6th generation): Average
• Tablet: Apple: iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (5th generation): Average
• Telecommunications: Average: UK

Common questions

We buy laptops but don't track exact models — what should I use?

Use the generic Computers average factor, or a device-type average within Information technology if your data distinguishes laptop from tablet from phone, and note that model-level detail is a future improvement.

Does this include mobile phone contracts and airtime, or just the handsets?

The handset purchase itself sits here as a purchased good; ongoing airtime and data contracts are usually tracked as a telecommunications service line rather than a hardware purchase.

How should refurbished IT equipment be recorded differently from new?

Flag it separately if your supplier or asset register distinguishes refurbished from new stock, since refurbished hardware is tracked with its own entries reflecting the lower embodied impact of reused components.

Do software licences count as an IT purchase here?

Software licensing and development services are IT-related purchased services, generally tracked by spend, so yes — include them, but expect them to sit in a spend-based band of your data rather than alongside physical hardware.

What's the difference between this and the Digital: Web and cloud hosting category?

Information technology covers hardware and IT services you procure; Digital: Web and cloud hosting is specifically the compute, storage and electricity consumed by hosting your own digital services, usually measured in usage units like vCPU-hours rather than purchase spend.