The Carbon Footprint – the foundation of your carbon needs

A greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is a comprehensive document accounting for all greenhouse gases emitted or removed by an organisation during a particular time period. It categorises and quantifies gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that contribute to global warming by trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
GHG inventories are crucial for climate change mitigation as they provide data for setting reduction targets, monitoring progress, and meeting reporting obligations. Businesses, governments, and institutions use GHG inventories to develop strategies for reducing emissions and promoting sustainability, thus playing a key role in addressing global climate challenges.
Companies use them for a variety of reasons – tender or client requirements, statutory reporting such as SECR, provide information for the SBTi or CDP, to inform changes within their own organisation to achieve carbon neutrality or Net Zero.
Why compile a Greenhouse gas inventory?
- A Greenhouse Gas Inventory is the foundation of all climate action, allowing your organisation to establish targets and track progress against them.
- The language of a Greenhouse Gas Inventory e.g. Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 is encountered by businesses in many contexts – pre-qualifying questionnaires, tender documents, NHS and Government documentations, carbon neutral status, as well as Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting.
- With a friendly advisor, you will be walked through the process of understanding your business and classify it according to the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. If it is the first time your organisation has been through the process, this report will form your Base Year
- You will be guided through the process to gather data which we will use to produce your carbon footprint. Data will be held in your system in many different ways, we are flexible to help you get an accurate footprint whilst minimising the potential burden.
- Once all the data is collected, Blue Marble will calculate the emissions, and a full GHG report will be provided. This will explain what was included and the decisions taken to develop the final result.
- The numbers generated by the report will make clear hotspots and potential opportunities for reduction. Once established, the numbers can be used for multiple different applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will I be left alone to fill in data on a platform?
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No, we know that carbon accounting is not a day to day activity for our customers so we make it easy and clear so you can be confident in the result.
- How often do I need to do an inventory?
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Inventories almost always cover a period of 12 months. They are completed retrospectively so it is not an estimate of what might happen, but calculation of what actually did.
- What system do you use to calculate Green House Gas Inventories?
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We use the World Resource Institute / World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WRI/WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Revised Edition (2015) and Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3), Accounting and Reporting Standard (2011).
Why choose Blue Marble?
- We use technology to accurately develop reports, but this is predominantly a people led process, we have helpful experts whose role it is to explain what is being done and why.
- Using our system of a Scoping Calls, we can reduce the number of questions that you are asked which makes the process much easier for our customers.
- We can adjust the report to meet your specific aims, this makes it efficient and gets you what you need in as short a time as possible.
- The result is a full inventory which you can use for a wide range of purposes, this is supported for 12 months where you can ask us advice on elements of the report and how it can be used to fulfill your needs.
Case Studies

Architectural Aluminium Coatings (AAC) Ltd.’s Journey to Carbon Neutrality
Sep 02, 2024
A comprehensive approach to a Net Zero starts with an accurate baseline.

Zebu Digital’s Carbon Neutrality Declaration for the 2022 Live Event
Sep 02, 2024
Capturing the impact of a ‘one off’ event is increasingly normal for event companies.

Phase I & II of University, Council and Government Carbon Champions Project
Sep 02, 2024
Blue Marble is pleased to announce the completion of Phase I & II of the Carbon Champions Project. We were selected as an expert consultant for the South Ayrshire Project, funded by the UK Government.
Speak to an Expert
Contact us and we’ll be in touch to arrange a Discovery Call…
