Greenhouse Gas Management: ENERGY STAR as a foundation for Scope 3

Many owners and organizations already use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ENERGY STAR® platform to comply with local ordinances or for voluntary benchmarking and reporting. The ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® enables tracking of energy and water use, waste and materials, and emissions — all of which contribute to an ENERGY STAR rating or report for local governments.

If you’re tracking these metrics, you’re closer to meeting Scope 3 emissions disclosure requirements than you might think. 

Understanding Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions include indirect emissions from your organization’s upstream and downstream value chain activities. The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol categorizes Scope 3 emissions into 15 distinct categories, including eight upstream and seven downstream. These categories cover a wide range of activities, from the weight and distance of shipments to and from your facilities to the emissions associated with leased assets. 

For many organizations, much of this data is already being collected and reported to the EPA through ENERGY STAR. 

Translating ENERGY STAR tracking into Scope 3 reporting 

Your existing utility consumption data, for example, may contain valuable information for several Scope 3 categories, such as: 

• Category 3 – Fuel- and energy-related activities. 
• Category 5 – Waste generated in operations. 
• Category 8 – Upstream leased assets. 
• Category 13 – Downstream leased assets. 

By applying your ENERGY STAR data, you’re ahead of the curve and have already established stakeholder buy-in and a structured data collection process with built-in quality controls.

How UL Solutions can help

Scope 3 emissions disclosure is critical for demonstrating progress on sustainability performance to regulators, investors and stakeholders. Proactively addressing these requirements can help you stay ahead of evolving regulations and enhance your organization’s reputation for transparency and accountability.

UL Solutions Enterprise Sustainability services and software provide the tools and insights needed to develop a robust Scope 3 emissions disclosure strategy. We can help you:

Streamline data collection and reporting by integrating existing ENERGY STAR data with additional Scope 3 metrics.

Identify gaps and opportunities in your emissions tracking to enable comprehensive reporting and uncover areas for improvement.

Build a compelling sustainability story with accurate, verifiable data that showcases your commitment to environmental responsibility.