For most businesses, energy usage will be the biggest contributor to your direct carbon footprint. You are only required to complete the energy types applicable to your business.

For road vehicles, we assume small commercial vehicles are being used. This is a necessary simplification. Businesses using large amounts of freight should undertake a separate transport-related emissions analysis

The products, goods and materials that your business uses have an environmental impact through the material they are made from, manufacturing, packaging, transport and redundancy. These impacts are sometimes known as the ‘embodied carbon’ of goods. This calculator will not capture the full embodied carbon of the products you use, but will suggest some practical steps to assess and address it. Waste produced by a business also has embodied carbon and can highlight areas of inefficiency, or reuse/recycling requirements.

The volume of water used by your business contributes to your carbon footprint, through the energy used in its treatment and transport. Small changes in your operations can have a large impact. Conserving water not only helps to protect your local supply but can help you to reduce your environmental impacts while saving money on your water bills.