Executive Summary

We are driven by a bold mission to achieve net zero by 2040. This ambitious goal encompasses all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and we are committed to reducing Scope 3 emissions wherever possible. From the academic year 2022–23, we have reported our carbon emissions using the EAUC (Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges) Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework (SCEF) – wherever data availability permits.

Here outlines the full methodology used to calculate Imperial College London’s carbon emissions year-on-year.

The SCEF is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and has been proposed as a new good practice voluntary standard for the Higher and Further Education sectors to report emissions from academic activities. It has broader coverage of Scope 3 than both the existing Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) reporting required for the Higher Education Sector and the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) reporting required for companies. The carbon emissions published in Imperial's Annual Financial Report used SECR and differ within Scope 1 and 2 from this report as SECR includes wider commercial activities, while SCEF focuses on only academic activities in those Scopes.

This report unveils a fascinating landscape of our carbon footprint. Using the EAUC SCEF, we have expanded our reporting to encompass previously unexplored areas, including staff homeworking and student travel, to provide a more holistic and detailed summary of our total carbon emissions.  We have also revised our methodology for calculating emissions from spend data.

We will discuss the methodology and results for each category within the SCEF used to calculate Imperial's carbon emissions. Unless stated specifically, conversion factors (CF) have come from the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting, compiled by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).  All values have been rounded to two significant figures.

Figure 1: EAUC SCEF categories and their current application to Imperial’s carbon emissions reporting.

 

 

 

 

Intro

Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Scope 1 emissions are our direct emissions as a result of sources we own and control. This is combustion of fuel in owned and controlled premises and emissions from owned land and livestock.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of grid-derived electricity and heat by utility providers. Imperial does not purchase heat or steam directly.

Scope 1 and 2

Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 covers the widest range of emissions. It includes all indirect emissions from up and down the value chain, ranging from water and waste to staff commuting and business travel. Emission sources franchises and sold products are not applicable to Imperial.

Scope 3