Chemicals: Carbon Accounting Guide

Most chemicals are not covered by EU CBAM (fertilisers and hydrogen are). Customers and listed buyers still ask for site emissions, and process emissions need careful separation from fuel.

The question multinational customers ask

“Can you report Scope 1 and 2 for the site that makes our product?”

This sector is not directly covered by EU CBAM. Buyers, lenders and OEMs ask for emissions built from documents for their own reporting.

Scope 1 sources (evidence: fuel invoices)

• Boiler and thermic fluid fuel
• Process emissions from reactions
• Flaring and venting
• Fugitive emissions from storage

Scope 2 sources (evidence: electricity bills)

• Reactors, pumps and agitators
• Chillers and cooling towers
• Vacuum and compressed air
• Effluent treatment

Scope 3 sources (evidence: purchase and freight invoices)

• Raw material and solvent purchases
• Catalysts and auxiliaries
• Drums and packaging
• Waste disposal

Worked example

Illustrative monthly quantities: 1,20,000 kWh of grid electricity, 6,000 litre of furnace oil, 15,000 scm of piped natural gas, multiplied by the emission factors Senseible uses and annualised. Combustion and electricity only. Process and fugitive emissions are calculated separately.

Where reductions usually start

• Heat integration and recovery
• Solvent recovery
• Boiler fuel switch
• Renewable electricity
• Leak detection and repair

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