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Measuring and decreasing emissions throughout CU Boulder’s worth chain
Scope 3 emissions are oblique greenhouse gasoline emissions related to CU Boulder actions, from the products and meals the college purchases, to the development supplies used within the buildings it constructs, each day commuting to and from campus, college journey, and waste.
Unlike Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, these emissions happen largely from sources that CU Boulder doesn’t personal or straight management. The college can, nevertheless, affect a lot of them by way of buying selections, constructing and infrastructure requirements, transportation applications, journey practices, contracts and partnerships.
Because Scope 3 emissions come from many alternative actions and information sources, in addition they differ considerably in how precisely they are often measured and the way a lot the college can affect them. CU Boulder will proceed to enhance its Scope 3 stock whereas growing particular methods centered on areas the place the college can create significant affect.
A Revised 2019 Scope 3 Baseline
The 2019 Scope 3 baseline included in CU Boulder’s 2024 Climate Action Plan was a first-generation estimate developed with the information and methodologies accessible on the time. The CAP Scope 3 evaluation was meant to supply an preliminary, directional understanding of the college’s value-chain emissions.
Since then, CU Boulder has considerably improved the stock, recalculating emissions utilizing extra full information, extra applicable emissions elements and extra detailed category-specific methodologies.
Improvements embody:
- increasing purchased-goods evaluation from a restricted pattern of transactions to the broader college buying dataset;
- utilizing improved emissions elements for upstream gasoline and vitality actions (FERA) as an alternative of the elements used within the authentic CAP;
- making use of totally different emissions elements to landfill, recycling, composting and reuse relatively than treating a number of waste streams as landfill;
- distinguishing short-, medium- and long-haul air journey;
- including schooling overseas as a individually tracked supply;
- incorporating up to date commuting survey information;
- increasing leased-space information and constructing varieties; and
- enhancing scholar and household journey estimates to incorporate in-state journey, worldwide journey and extra detailed student-location information.
For instance, the up to date buying methodology covers roughly 5 occasions the spending quantity in comparison with the pattern used for the CAP and applies practically 300 spend-based emissions elements to several types of purchases relatively than 5 within the CAP.
Importantly, the next recalculated baseline doesn’t imply CU Boulder generated extra emissions in 2025. Rather, the up to date stock captures considerably extra exercise and applies extra full and correct methodologies than the preliminary CAP stock.
Continuous Improvement
Scope 3 accounting continues to evolve. CU Boulder depends on a variety of college data, surveys, provider info, business information and emissions elements, and information high quality differs considerably amongst classes.
CU Boulder will proceed refining each historic and present inventories as college information, provider info, emissions elements and accounting practices enhance. When methodologies change materially, the college might replace historic estimates so progress will be evaluated constantly over time.
[Explore Scope 3 Inventory Methodology (coming soon)]
What CU Boulder Includes in Its Scope 3 Inventory
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol identifies 15 classes of Scope 3 emissions. Not each class is relevant to a college.
CU Boulder at present quantifies the Scope 3 sources which might be related to campus operations and for which an affordable accounting methodology will be established. The college additionally individually evaluates a number of higher-education-specific sources, together with schooling overseas and scholar and household journey, which might be necessary to understanding its broader emissions footprint.
For a number of classes, CU Boulder makes use of further subcategories to higher distinguish main sources. For instance, Category 1 is separated into buying, meals, and cloud computing and AI, whereas college journey is separated into enterprise journey and schooling overseas.
|
GHG Protocol Category |
CU Boulder Treatment |
Why |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Purchased items and companies |
Included |
Includes items and companies bought by the college. CU Boulder additional separates this class into 1a: Purchasing (Spend-Based), 1b: Food, and 1c: Cloud Computing and AI as a result of these sources use totally different information and methodologies. Current buying estimates don’t but embody all P Card and T Card spending. |
|
2. Capital items |
Included |
Includes 2a: Construction and 2b: Purchased Vehicles. CU Boulder makes selections about buildings, renovations and automobile purchases and may affect embodied emissions by way of design, procurement and reuse. |
|
3. Fuel- and energy-related actions |
Included |
Captures upstream emissions related to the manufacturing and supply of fuels and electrical energy utilized by CU Boulder, together with methane leakage and transmission and distribution losses. These emissions are carefully tied to the college’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 vitality use. |
|
4. Upstream transportation and distribution |
Accounted for inside buying; not proven as a separate line merchandise |
Includes transportation and supply of products bought by CU Boulder. The present stock incorporates these impacts inside buying relatively than reporting a separate Category 4 whole. |
|
5. Waste generated in operations |
Included |
Includes landfill, recycling and composting. CU Boulder has comparatively robust waste-stream information and may affect these emissions by way of waste prevention, reuse, composting, and recycling. |
|
6. Business journey |
Included |
CU Boulder separates college journey into 6a: Business Travel and 6b: Education Abroad for inner evaluation. Education overseas is tracked individually as a result of it’s a vital university-related journey supply with totally different actions and decision-making issues. |
|
7. Employee commuting |
Included, with scholar commuting additionally evaluated |
Includes common worker and scholar journey to and from campus. CU Boulder can affect commuting by way of transportation demand administration, transit, biking and strolling infrastructure, housing and electric-vehicle charging, though estimates rely partly on survey information. |
|
8. Upstream leased belongings |
Included |
Includes emissions related to buildings, laboratories and workplace area CU Boulder leases from third events when these emissions usually are not already included in Scopes 1 or 2. |
|
9. Downstream transportation and distribution |
Included, by monitoring scholar and household journey to and from campus |
The conventional GHG Protocol class primarily applies to downstream transportation of offered merchandise. For its higher-education stock, CU Boulder makes use of this portion of the stock to estimate scholar and household journey between residence communities and campus, a big university-related supply. |
|
10. Processing of offered merchandise |
Not relevant |
CU Boulder doesn’t manufacture merchandise that require downstream processing. |
|
11. Use of offered merchandise |
Not relevant to the stock |
Education and analysis create broad impacts, however these outcomes can’t fairly be handled or quantified because the downstream “use of sold products” for greenhouse gasoline accounting. |
|
12. End-of-life remedy of offered merchandise |
Not relevant |
CU Boulder doesn’t manufacture and promote merchandise for which downstream end-of-life emissions can be attributed to the college. |
|
13. Downstream leased belongings |
Not relevant underneath the present stock boundary |
CU Boulder doesn’t have materials buildings leased to exterior organizations that qualify for reporting on this class underneath the college’s stock boundary. |
|
14. Franchises |
Not relevant |
CU Boulder doesn’t function a franchise enterprise mannequin. |
|
15. Investments |
Under assessment |
University investments are managed on the CU System stage. The 2024 CAP included an preliminary estimate for a portion of investment-related emissions, however further evaluation and coordination are wanted earlier than this class is included into the up to date campus stock. |
CU Boulder’s Scope 3 Approach to Goal Setting
CU Boulder’s 2024 Climate Action Plan established a objective to cut back Scope 3 emissions the place correct estimates might be developed and the place the college has significant affect or management.
Since adoption of the plan, CU Boulder has carried out a extra detailed evaluation of particular person Scope 3 sources, contemplating:
- the scale of every emissions supply;
- the standard and availability of the underlying information;
- CU Boulder’s capacity to affect or management the supply;
- alternatives to attain measurable greenhouse gasoline reductions;
- broader advantages equivalent to well being, mobility, fairness, waste discount and resilience; and
- potential results on the college’s schooling and analysis mission.
This evaluation confirmed {that a} single discount goal will not be equally significant or achievable throughout all Scope 3 sources. Some classes, equivalent to meals, upstream fuel- and energy-related actions (FERA), and waste, will be measured and influenced comparatively straight. Others rely closely on particular person habits, suppliers habits, or broader business motion equivalent to by way of decarbonized cement or aviation.
Based on this, CU Boulder makes use of category-specific greenhouse gasoline targets the place emissions will be measured reliably and the college has significant capacity to affect them, and different efficiency metrics the place direct emissions reductions are tougher to measure or management.
Understanding CU Boulder’s Scope 3 Footprint
CU Boulder’s newest 2025 stock estimates roughly 245,074 MTCO₂e of Scope 3 emissions, representing about 70% of the college’s measured Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gasoline footprint.
The largest estimated sources are:
- Category 9: Student and household journey to and from campus: roughly 31%
- Category 3: Fuel- and energy-related actions: roughly 19.5%
- Category 1a: Purchasing: roughly 14.2%
- Category 6a: Business journey: roughly 8.5%
- Category 6b: Education overseas: roughly 8.3%
- Category 7: Employee and scholar commuting: roughly 7.4%
- Category 2a: Construction: roughly 5.4%
- Category 1b: Food: roughly 4.8%
Together, these eight sources account for about 99% of CU Boulder’s measured Scope 3 emissions. Waste, upstream leased belongings, bought automobiles, and cloud computing and AI make up the remaining roughly 1%.
How CU Boulder Is Addressing Scope 3 Emissions
CU Boulder prioritizes Scope 3 motion primarily based not solely on the scale of an emissions supply, but additionally on how precisely it may be measured, how a lot affect or management the college has over it, and the place motion can create significant real-world affect.
Because Scope 3 classes differ broadly in information high quality and controllability, they require totally different approaches. Categories with stronger information and better college affect can assist measurable greenhouse gasoline discount targets. For classes the place emissions are tougher to measure or rely closely on particular person habits, suppliers or broader industries, CU Boulder might as an alternative deal with operational enhancements, engagement, or different efficiency measures.
Different Scope 3 sources due to this fact require totally different approaches. Some classes have quantitative greenhouse gasoline discount targets, whereas others use operational or efficiency metrics that higher mirror what CU Boulder can meaningfully affect.
CU Boulder’s Theory of Change
CU Boulder makes use of the next rules to information and prioritize Scope 3 methods:
- Maximize world environmental affect. Prioritize actions that cut back CU Boulder’s greenhouse gasoline emissions and may also assist catalyze broader emissions reductions past campus.
- Deliver significant co-benefits. Favor methods that, alongside decreasing emissions, enhance well being, fairness, mobility and resilience for the CU Boulder neighborhood and, the place potential, contribute to advantages on the state, nationwide or world stage.
- Support CU Boulder’s mission. Evaluate whether or not local weather actions strengthen or detract from the college’s capacity to supply high-quality schooling and analysis, and prioritize approaches that advance local weather objectives whereas supporting the educational mission.
- Focus on real-world affect. Prioritize actions that produce significant emissions reductions or different demonstrated local weather advantages relatively than measures meant primarily to cut back reported emissions by way of accounting mechanisms or actions with out proof of web emissions enchancment.
Together, these issues assist CU Boulder decide the place quantitative greenhouse gasoline discount targets are applicable and the place different methods or efficiency metrics present a extra significant measure of progress.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.colorado.edu/sustainable-operations/programs/climate-action/scope-3-emissions
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
