How can a self-help group work out the carbon footprint of its products?
Keep it simple and record-based. Note the fuel, electricity and main materials used for a batch, divide by the units made, and apply standard factors. A buyer or support agency can help with factors; the group's job is accurate records of what went into each batch.
Batch record
- Date and products made, with count or weight.
- Firewood, LPG or electricity used.
- Main materials bought, with quantity.
Turn it into a figure
Multiply each quantity by its factor, add them, and divide by units made. Keep the records so the figure can be checked.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads supplier invoices into dated records with the quantity, unit and factor on each line, and marks lines without a usable quantity as needing data instead of guessing.
Sources: GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard, GHG Protocol Corporate Standard
Last reviewed 2026-10-23.