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Employee commuting emissions, classified as Scope 3, Category 7, refer to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation of employees between their homes and their place of work. These emissions are indirect, not owned or directly controlled by the reporting company. Yet, they are a consequence of its operations. They can include emissions from various modes of transportation, such as personal vehicles, public transit, carpooling, and other forms of commuting.
The categorisation and reporting of employee commuting emissions fall under the broader umbrella of Scope 3 emissions in the GHG Protocol, which encompasses all other indirect emissions not covered in Scope 2 (emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the reporting company). Employee commuting is explicitly identified because it is a significant source of emissions for many organisations, especially those with large numbers of employees or areas without efficient public transportation systems.
To accurately account for these emissions, companies must gather data regarding the commuting habits of their employees, the modes of transportation used, and the distances travelled. This often involves surveys or estimates based on typical commuting patterns. The GHG emissions are then calculated using appropriate emission factors for the various modes of transport, usually provided by national environmental agencies or international bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
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