Q: How do you calculate Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for a mining and logistics services provider?

Calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a mining services or logistics company follows the GHG Protocol’s Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and, for Australian mandatory reporting, the methodologies prescribed under NGER. The emissions profile of a services provider differs meaningfully from that of a mining operator – the focus shifts from fixed plant and extraction processes toward mobile fleets, contracted equipment, and the emissions embedded across a dispersed service delivery model.

Scope 1 emissions – direct emissions from owned or controlled sources – for mining services and logistics companies typically include diesel combustion in light and heavy vehicle fleets, mobile plant and equipment operated on client sites, and fuel used in workshops, depots, or maintenance facilities. These are calculated by multiplying fuel consumption data by the relevant National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) emission factors published by the Australian Government.

Scope 2 emissions cover purchased electricity consumed at owned or leased facilities – including depots, workshops, offices, and camp accommodation – calculated using location-based grid emission factors for each state and territory.

Scope 3 emissions are often the most material and complex category for services providers. Key categories include fuel extraction and processing upstream of Scope 1 combustion, purchased goods and services (tyres, parts, subcontracted labour), employee commuting and business travel, and waste generated at operational facilities. For companies subject to ASRS, identifying and disclosing the most material Scope 3 categories is required – and for a fleet-intensive business, upstream fuel emissions alone can represent a significant portion of the total footprint.

We build measurement frameworks tailored to the operational structures of mining services and logistics businesses – automating data collection from fleet management systems and fuel records, applying current NGA emission factors, and producing auditable workbooks aligned with both NGER methodology and AASB S2 requirements.