How to measure emissions from Supplier electricity

What counts as Supplier electricity

Electricity activity data collected directly from suppliers as part of their purchased-goods-and-services footprint, using supplier- or region-specific electricity factors rather than the organisation's own metered supply. Used when calculating the electricity embedded in a purchased good or service, drawing on the supplier's location or reported grid mix.

Distinct from the organisation's own 'Electricity' page (Scope 2, own sites): this page is Category 1, where electricity is an input to something you buy rather than something you consume directly. Because the platform holds a large library of country- and region-level grid electricity factors, choose the subtype that matches the supplier's actual location as closely as possible rather than defaulting to a global or national average when a more specific regional factor is available.

What activity data you need

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

• kWh
• $ Spend
• £ Spend

Which emission scope it falls under

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

Common sub-types

• Electricity: Africa (average)
• Electricity: Average
• Electricity: EU (average)
• Electricity: Latin America (average)
• Electricity: Middle East (average)
• Electricity: Non-OECD Europe and Eurasia (average)
• Electricity: UK grid
• Electricity: US: Average

Common questions

How is this different from our own metered electricity?

Your own metered electricity is Scope 2 and sits on the 'Electricity' page. This page is Category 1 - electricity used by a supplier as part of producing something you purchase from them.

How do we get electricity data from suppliers who don't report it?

Ask directly through supplier engagement or a CDP-style questionnaire first; where that isn't possible, fall back to a spend-based estimate allocated to the supplier's region.

Which regional grid factor should we pick for a multinational supplier?

Match the factor to where the specific goods or services you're buying were actually produced, not the supplier's global headquarters, since grid intensity varies significantly by country.

Does this double count with the supplier's own Scope 2 disclosure?

Not in the sense of inflating the total inventory - your Category 1 figure and the supplier's own Scope 2 figure describe the same physical electricity from two different organisations' reporting perspectives, which is expected under the GHG Protocol's value-chain approach.

When is spend-based electricity estimation acceptable here?

When supplier-specific energy data genuinely isn't obtainable. It's a reasonable starting point but carries more uncertainty than supplier-reported kWh, so prioritise engaging suppliers for physical data where the spend is material.