How do we count stationery, printing paper and office supplies in Scope 3?

They are purchased goods in Category 1. Copier paper is easy to count by weight, since invoices show reams and GSM; for pens, files and toner use spend. It is a small line for factories but can matter for offices, where paper is one of the few material purchases.

Count what you can by weight

• Copier paper: a ream of 500 A4 sheets at 75 GSM weighs about 2.3 kg. Reams x weight x a paper factor gives an activity-based figure.
• Recycled paper usually carries a lower factor than virgin; check the supplier's claim.
• Envelopes and printed forms by weight where listed.

Use spend for the rest

• Pens, files, folders, toner and cartridges: spend excluding GST x a factor for the product group.
• Printing done by an outside press: purchased service, by weight of print or spend.

Cut it

Double-sided default printing and digital approvals reduce reams bought. Track reams per employee per year as a simple indicator.

Worked example: copier paper weight (one year)

• Reams bought: 1,200 of A4 75 GSM
• One ream: 500 x 0.0624 m2 x 75 g = 2,340 g, about 2.3 kg
• Paper weight: 1,200 x 2.34 = 2,808 kg
• Multiply by your paper factor per kg for Category 1

An A4 sheet is 0.21 m x 0.297 m = 0.0624 m2.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads purchase and service invoices; it uses quantities where the invoice shows them and otherwise gives a spend-based estimate, labelled as spend-based with wider uncertainty.

• Offset printing footprint per tonne
• Office footprint per square foot
• Mapping expense ledgers to Scope 3

Sources: GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard, Category 1 purchased goods and services

Last reviewed 2026-10-20.