Scope 3 emissions: from compliance burden to business advantage

“The value isn’t reporting. The value is really driving change.” – Greg Carli

For many organisations, more than 70 percent of their carbon footprint sits outside their direct operations, embedded within complex supply chains and value chains. Yet despite their scale, Scope 3 emissions are still often treated as a reporting requirement rather than a strategic opportunity.

Leading organisations are beginning to take a different view. They are using Scope 3 emissions data to identify inefficiencies, strengthen supplier relationships, improve resilience and uncover new sources of business value.

In this episode, Greg Carli joins Ben Hall, Global Thought Leadership Manager at GHD, to explore why Scope 3 emissions have become a boardroom priority, how organisations can move beyond disclosure and why the companies that treat emissions data as a business performance metric will be better positioned to compete in a low-carbon economy.

• Scope 3 emissions can account for 70 to 90 percent of an organisation’s total carbon footprint
• The biggest mistake organisations make is trying to tackle all 15 Scope 3 categories at once rather than focusing on material hotspots
• Supplier collaboration delivers better outcomes than compliance-driven approaches alone
• High-quality emissions data should support business decisions, not simply satisfy reporting requirements
• Organisations that view Scope 3 as a strategic business lever will gain competitive advantage, resilience and long-term value

Explore the related Nexus weekly columns: Part one - Decarbonising your value chain: Tackling Scope 3 emissions for profitability and business growth and part two - From intention to impact: Actualising Scope 3 emissions action