At Dodo, we have developed a methodology for measuring carbon emissions using the greenhouse gas protocol. This protocol is an international standard that organisations around the world use to measure and report their carbon emissions, helping them take action to reduce their environmental impact. 

92% of Fortune 500 companies use the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to measure their emissions. 

The GHG Protocol

Our methodology is built on the foundation of the greenhouse gas protocol and incorporates industry best practices for accurately measuring and reporting carbon emissions.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol is the standard for emissions accounting among businesses and their supply chains. The Corporate Standard defines three main scopes of business emissions:

• Scope 1: These are direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organisation, such as company vehicles and on-site heating.

• Scope 2: These are indirect emissions from electricity purchased and used by the organisation.

• Scope 3: These are all other indirect emissions that occur in the value chain of the organisation, such as business travel and waste disposal.

Measuring and managing supply chain (Scope 3) emissions is important because they represent a significant portion of a company's greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, according to the EPA, supply chain emissions account for 60-80% of a company's total emissions - and for some companies, it can reach as high as 90%.

How do we calculate Scope 1 & 2 emissions?

To calculate Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, we use an activity-based approach.

Activity-based emissions accounting can be more time-consuming, but we use this approach for Scope 1 & 2 in order to get a more accurate and granular emissions measurement. In this approach, you calculate emissions by entering the specific volume or number of items consumed. For example, you can enter the total kWh of electricity used or the total litres of oil.

How do we calculate Scope 3 emissions?

You can also use the activity-based approach to calculate your Scope 3 emissions, but given the wider coverage of this, it might be hard to gather the data. If you're starting to measure your supply chain emissions, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol recommends using the spend-based approach.

The spend-based approach uses the total amount spent that a company spends on goods and services from suppliers as a way to calculate emissions.

This approach uses emissions factors - this is a number that represents the number of emissions produced by a certain activity. For example, the emissions factor for a flight might be 3 kilos of carbon per £/$ spent.

This approach gives you a wide view of your company's carbon emissions, allowing you to identify the most significant sources of your CO2.

What emission factor databases do we use?

We use a number of reputable and internationally recognised databases to source our emissions factors, including:

• EXIOBASE - Scopes 1, 2, and 3 data across multiple regions and countries. 

• DEFRA - scope 1 & 2 emissions data for items like fuel and electricity.

• BEIS/GHG/ADEME - scope 3 data for items like travel and packaging.

• EcoAct - the emissions from working from home and commuting.

Additionally, we are always looking for ways to improve and update our methodology, regularly reviewing new research and updates in the carbon emissions measurement field.

In summary

By using the internationally recognised GHG Protocol and incorporating best practices in our methodology, we are able to provide comprehensive and accurate measurements of carbon emissions.