Which category best describes Scope 3 emissions?

• A. Direct emissions from owned sources
• B. Emissions from purchased electricity
• C. Other indirect emissions across the value chain, including production, use, and end-of-life
• D. Emissions from transportation within the company's own service vehicles

Answer: (C)

Scope 3 emissions are all the indirect emissions that come from activities outside the company’s own facilities and energy purchases, spanning the entire value chain. This means emissions from upstream suppliers who produce goods and services the company buys, as well as downstream effects like how products are used and disposed of at end-of-life, plus related activities such as business travel, employee commuting, logistics, and waste. Because Scope 3 covers these broader, often external activities, it frequently makes up the largest portion of a company’s total footprint and is the right description of “other indirect emissions across the value chain, including production, use, and end-of-life.” Emissions from owned sources are direct emissions (Scope 1), emissions from purchased electricity are Scope 2, and emissions from a company’s own service vehicles’ transportation are also Scope 1.