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

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/stationery-and-office-supplies-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](https://senseible.earth/answers/offset-printing-carbon-footprint-per-tonne-of-print)
- [Office footprint per square foot](https://senseible.earth/answers/office-carbon-footprint-per-square-foot)
- [Mapping expense ledgers to Scope 3](https://senseible.earth/answers/map-expense-ledgers-to-scope-3-categories)

Sources: [GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard, Category 1 purchased goods and services](https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-value-chain-scope-3-standard)

Last reviewed 2026-10-20.