Albuad Environmental Company helps facilities and projects in Saudi Arabia calculate their carbon footprint, from defining inventory boundaries and the reporting period to collecting activity data, calculating greenhouse gas emissions, and analyzing their sources, according to the agreed-upon methodology and scope.
We convert electricity and fuel bills, operations and transport records, and procurement into documented results in units of carbon dioxide equivalent, while stating gaps and assumptions, and identifying reduction opportunities and follow-up indicators. Work begins by reviewing available data and the purpose of the report.
Measurement and analysis of carbon emissions
The reporting period, facility boundaries, emission sources, and appropriate conversion factors are determined before starting the calculation and issuing the final results.
Carbon footprint calculation is the process of inventorying and measuring greenhouse gas emissions resulting directly or indirectly from the activity of a facility or project during a specific period. Data on fuel, electricity, operations, transport, procurement, waste, and others are collected, then converted into carbon dioxide equivalent to determine total emissions, their main sources, and reduction opportunities.
Defining the inventory subject prevents collecting data that does not serve the report's purpose or using a result outside its boundaries. We review the beneficiary and the required methodology before finalizing the scope of work.
It is linked to corporate boundaries, sites, and assets during a specific reporting period, then distributes emissions to their sources and scopes according to the chosen reference.
Requires defining operations, equipment, contractors, timeframe, and its relation to the facility inventory. Measuring site emissions differs from calculating project reductions for issuing carbon credits.
Requires a product unit, lifecycle boundaries, and customized data. It cannot be automatically derived from total facility emissions or by dividing them by production without an appropriate methodology.
Emissions are classified according to their relation to the facility into direct emissions, indirect emissions from purchased energy, and other emissions within the value chain, with the included scope defined before starting the calculation.
Emissions from sources owned or directly controlled by the enterprise.
Emissions related to the generation of electricity, heat, cooling, or steam purchased and consumed by the facility.
Indirect emissions that fall outside the facility's direct sources but are associated with its activities, purchases, and products.
Activity data is linked to an emission factor that matches the source, unit, region, and year. If the result is in mass of a specific gas, its impact is converted to carbon dioxide equivalent using the global warming potential value approved in the inventory methodology.
If the emission factor is already in units of carbon dioxide equivalent, it is not multiplied again by the global warming potential factor. When calculating for each gas separately, the global warming potential values used, their time horizon, and reference must be documented, with units unified before aggregation.
The calculation can be performed for the first time to build a baseline, or periodically to monitor performance and measure the results of emission reduction initiatives.
When structured climate data is needed that can be included in internal reports, sustainability reports, and corporate disclosures.
To establish a base year, identify the highest contributing sources, and formulate measurable and trackable targets.
When funding bodies, clients, or major corporations request information on emissions and climate performance.
To identify operations and facilities with the highest energy consumption and link consumption reduction to the expected carbon impact.
To understand emissions associated with procurement, transportation, suppliers, raw materials, and products when related to the report scope.
Considering measurement as a first step preceding the development of a reduction pathway, identifying residual emissions, and options for dealing with them.
Inventory turns scattered consumption and operational data into indicators that help management prioritize and track improvement over time.
Defining the boundaries, period, sources, factors, and assumptions used in the calculation.
Identifying the activities, locations, and sources that account for the largest share of the carbon footprint.
Discovering gaps in bills, records, meters, and operational data, and developing a plan to improve them.
Prioritizing initiatives according to expected impact, ease of implementation, cost, duration, and responsibility.
Comparing results against the base year, analyzing the causes of increases or decreases, and measuring the impact of initiatives.
The process begins with defining the goal and boundaries, then collecting and verifying data, performing calculations and analysis, and finally reaching the report and reduction plan.
Determining the purpose of preparing the inventory, the included year or period, the required level of detail, and the entities that will use the results.
Identifying the companies, branches, locations, assets, and activities included in the facility's inventory according to a clear methodology.
Preparing a register of direct sources, purchased energy, and value chain categories relevant to the activity.
Collecting electricity and fuel bills, operational, cooling, transportation, procurement, and waste records, among others.
Checking completeness, units, periods, frequency, and unusual values, and identifying estimated or missing data.
Selecting appropriate and updated factors for the source, region, and year, while documenting the reference, methodology, and assumptions.
Converting data into carbon dioxide equivalent and aggregating results by scope, location, activity, and source.
Presenting the results, their sources and boundaries, and identifying proposed actions, objectives, indicators, and responsibilities.
Data varies according to the facility's activity and the report's scope, and a customized data request list is sent after the introductory meeting.
Bills, meters and consumption by location, month and power source.
Quantities and types of fuels used in equipment, vehicles and generators.
Types of gases, quantities of charging, addition, leakage and maintenance.
Production, materials, reactions and processes that may generate emissions.
Distances, means of transportation, shipping, travel and staff mobility when included.
Quantities of carbon-significant raw materials, products and services.
Types, quantities, methods of transportation, processing, recycling and disposal.
Locations, branches, ownership, operational control, structure changes.
Outputs are customized according to the inventory's objective, included scopes, data level, and required reports.
A report detailing the methodology, boundaries, period, sources, results, assumptions, and technical notes.
Distribution of emissions by Scope, location, activity, source and period.
Rank emission sources according to their contribution to the footprint to prioritize intervention.
Document data sources, emission factors, units, and conversions used.
A list of initiatives ranked by priority, expected impact, duration, and ease of implementation.
A brief presentation of the most important results, risks, opportunities and required decisions.
Absolute or relative indicators to compare emissions with production, revenue, floor area, or others.
Clarification of missing or estimated data and a plan to improve the collection and documentation system in the future.
The reduction plan starts with the highest-impact sources, taking into account technical, operational, and financial feasibility, and defining a clear indicator to measure the result of each initiative.
Adjust schedules, actions, leaks and unnecessary loads.
Improvement of equipment, lighting, cooling, engines and control systems.
Study appropriate fuel, electricity and renewable energy alternatives.
Optimization of routes, loads, vehicles, trip and cargo management.
Reduce waste, reuse, recycle and improve purchasing decisions.
Demand better data and encourage lower emission options and materials.
Identify responsibilities, timelines, performance indicators and a baseline for comparison.
Update the inventory and review the results and procedures periodically.
The reliability of the carbon footprint depends on the completeness of boundaries and data, consistency of calculation methods, transparency of estimates, and traceability of results.
Identify the locations, activities, companies and sources included in the report.
Use a method that can be applied in the following years for comparison.
Correlate each result with the invoice, record or source on which it is built.
Documentation of the source of the coefficient, its year, unit and the reason for its use.
Distinguish the actual data from the estimated and explain the assumptions used.
Examine periods, repetitions, conversions, unusual units and values.
Clarify when the base year is recalculated when material changes occur.
Systematically examine data, calculations, results and conclusions.
The inventory helps link climate performance to operational decisions, energy efficiency, risk management, and corporate sustainability.
Understand the climatic impact of the facility and the main emission sources.
Identify opportunities to reduce energy and fuel consumption and associated costs.
Provide a baseline for comparing performance and measuring annual improvement.
Support climate reports, sustainability reports and environmental responsibility.
Raise the quality of data provided to management, investors and customers.
Improve preparedness for future climate and trade requirements.
Prioritizing sustainability initiatives with measurable impact.
Improve communication with suppliers and customers about carbon performance.
Fees and duration are determined after reviewing the number of sites, activities, reporting period, scopes, and included value chain categories. Data availability, quality, and the need for estimates or requests for information from suppliers affect the volume of work.
The work proposal outlines the required data log, outputs, delivery formats, number of reviews, and responsibilities for providing information. Independent verification support, if requested, is specified separately from the inventory preparation.
The carbon footprint may include several greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. The impact of different gases is converted into a single unit called carbon dioxide equivalent.
In the GHG Protocol classification, Scope 1 includes direct sources owned or controlled according to inventory boundaries, Scope 2 includes emissions from purchased and consumed electricity generation, and Scope 3 includes other indirect emissions within the value chain. Each source is designated in its place to avoid double counting.
The inventory objective and reporting requirements are reviewed, and relevant value chain categories are examined. When applying the Scope 3 standard, included categories and their boundaries are defined, and exclusions are interpreted. An initial screening or limited scope can be performed, clearly disclosing its boundaries and not describing it as a full inventory.
The inventory is often prepared for a full annual period to facilitate comparison with bills, records, and financial and operational reports. A different period can be agreed upon depending on the objective and data availability.
It is preferred to provide the activity type, number of sites, number of employees, reporting period, and available data regarding electricity, fuel, operations, transport, procurement, waste, and the objective of preparing the inventory.
The use of appropriate estimates or alternative data can be studied when some information is unavailable, while clarifying the assumptions, data quality level, and the impact of the shortage on the accuracy of the results.
The results, methodology, and indicators can be used within the sustainability report if the inventory scope is compatible with the report requirements, while clarifying the boundaries, period, methodology, and data used.
No. Footprint calculation determines the volume of emissions and their sources, whereas claiming carbon neutrality requires a separate framework that includes reduction, handling of remaining emissions, and the required documentation or verification.
Yes, the inventory can be prepared in a way that supports independent review or verification, but the verification itself is carried out by an independent and qualified entity within an agreed-upon scope, standard, and level of assurance.
The duration varies depending on the number of sites, scopes, included categories, data availability and quality, and the volume of required reviews. The timeline is determined after reviewing the facility's scope and available data.
The final reference, emission factors, and reporting requirements are determined according to the mission objective, facility scope, year, and the program or entity to which the report will be submitted.
The mission scope defines the reference used, such as GHG Protocol Corporate Standard Or ISO 14064-1. The method of presenting categories and reporting requirements differs between frameworks; therefore, the report clarifies the reference, version, and compliance boundaries, rather than assuming that following one automatically achieves the other.
Send the activity type, number of locations, calculation period, and available data, and we will help you determine the inventory boundaries, required scopes, and appropriate outputs for your facility.
