Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting company. They are the emissions you can most clearly point to as yours.
Under the GHG Protocol, Scope 1 covers four broad source types:
- Stationary combustion — fuels burned on-site, such as natural gas in a boiler, heating oil, or LPG.
- Mobile combustion — fuel used by vehicles owned or operated by the company (diesel vans, petrol cars, forklifts).
- Fugitive emissions — leaks of refrigerant gases from air-conditioning, refrigeration, or heat pump systems.
- Process emissions — direct emissions released by industrial or chemical processes (relevant mainly to manufacturers).
Why it matters
Scope 1 is always required. Every credible carbon report — including PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plans, SECR disclosures, and tender responses — must include Scope 1, because these emissions are the most directly within your control. They are also typically the easiest to reduce: switching a gas boiler to a heat pump, electrifying a fleet, or fixing refrigerant leaks all cut Scope 1 directly.
A practical example
A small manufacturer with a 200 kW gas boiler, three diesel vans, and an aging air-conditioning unit will have Scope 1 emissions from all three: the gas burned (kWh × natural gas EF), the diesel consumed (litres × diesel EF), and any refrigerant top-ups (kg × refrigerant GWP). Each is calculated separately and summed.
See the full Scope 1 calculation approach on the methodology page.