Government to commission the ONS and/or UKRI to lead an engagement exercise with business to define their data needs and develop bespoke recommendations to address these. |
133. It is clear that many businesses want to do the right thing in terms of reducing their carbon emissions. Half of the world's leading institutions and 40% of companies have made net zero pledges. But supply chain emissions are a major barrier. For example, the World Economic Forum's Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, which contains large global businesses like Nestle, Coca Cola, and Bank of America, estimates that 80% of their total emissions footprint comes from their supply chains, also known as Scope 3 emissions.130
134. A number of businesses told the Review that a lack of data about emissions in their supply chains creates a challenge for accurately reporting their emissions and taking action to reduce them.
"A lack of readily-available GHG emissions data in a standardised format from smaller companies upstream and downstream in value chains makes even the compilation of an accurate carbon inventory challenging, much less taking measures to decarbonise." - Business in the Community131
"Visibility on scope 3, data center emissions is low and expect that's a barrier when we want to decarbonise as we scale up" - RE24 Energy132
135. To deliver this, Government should commission the ONS and/or UKRI to lead an engagement exercise with business to define their data needs and develop bespoke recommendations to address these. This should include:
• Consulting businesses on what specific data they would find useful
• Exploring publishing Government-held data
• Exploring opportunities to reduce the costs of measuring data
• Providing Government-backed forums for collaboration and cooperation across value chains to measure emissions