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Harmonizing corporate carbon footprints

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  • Lena Klaaßen

    (TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich
    Climate Finance and Policy Group, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
    MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Christian Stoll

    (MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    TUM Center for Energy Markets, TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich)

Abstract

Global greenhouse gas emissions need to reach net-zero around mid-century to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. This decarbonization challenge has, inter alia, increased the political and societal pressure on companies to disclose their carbon footprints. As a response, numerous companies announced roadmaps to become carbon neutral or even negative. The first step on the journey towards carbon neutrality, however, is to quantify corporate emissions accurately. Current carbon accounting and reporting practices remain unsystematic and not comparable, particularly for emissions along the value chain (so-called scope 3). Here we present a framework to harmonize scope 3 emissions by accounting for reporting inconsistency, boundary incompleteness, and activity exclusion. In a case study of the tech sector, we find that corporate reports omit half of the total emissions. The framework we present may help companies, investors, and policy makers to identify and close the gaps in corporate carbon footprints.

Suggested Citation

  • Lena Klaaßen & Christian Stoll, 2021. "Harmonizing corporate carbon footprints," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-26349-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26349-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Martijn A. Boermans & Maurice Bun & Yasmine van der Straten, 2024. "Funding the Fittest? Pricing of Climate Transition Risk in the Corporate Bond Market," Working Papers 797, DNB.
    2. Maida Hadziosmanovic & Shannon M. Lloyd & Anders Bjørn & Raymond L. Paquin & Nadine Mengis & H. Damon Matthews, 2022. "Using cumulative carbon budgets and corporate carbon disclosure to inform ambitious corporate emissions targets and long‐term mitigation pathways," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(5), pages 1747-1759, October.
    3. Timo Busch & Charles H. Cho & Andreas G. F. Hoepner & Giovanna Michelon & Joeri Rogelj, 2023. "Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions’ Data and the Urgent Need for a Science-Led Just Transition: Introduction to a Thematic Symposium," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(4), pages 897-901, February.
    4. Gouriéroux, C. & Monfort, A. & Renne, J.-P., 2022. "Required Capital for Long-Run Risks," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Zengkai Zhang & Jiaoyan Li & Dabo Guan, 2023. "Value chain carbon footprints of Chinese listed companies," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Hechelmann, Ron-Hendrik & Paris, Aaron & Buchenau, Nadja & Ebersold, Felix, 2023. "Decarbonisation strategies for manufacturing: A technical and economic comparison," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    7. Philippe Loyson & Rianne Luijendijk & Sweder van Wijnbergen, 2023. "The pricing of climate transition risk in Europe’s equity market," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 23-041/IV, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Comello, Stephen & Reichelstein, Julia & Reichelstein, Stefan, 2023. "Corporate carbon reporting: Improving transparency and accountability," ZEW Discussion Papers 23-026, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    9. Edoardo Sperone & Paul Dargusch & Genia Hill, 2022. "Analysis of How Energy Companies Pledge and Attempt to Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Line with National Targets on Climate Change: A Case Study of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-10, March.
    10. Philippe Loyson & Rianne Luijendijk & Sweder van Wijnbergen, 2023. "The pricing of climate transition risk in Europe’s equity market," Working Papers 788, DNB.

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