Carbon Footprint Reporting

Standards-compliant GHG reporting, benchmarking, dashboards, and compliance documentation for wastewater treatment

Overview

ErgoPlanner generates comprehensive carbon footprint reports aligned with international standards including ISO 14064, GHG Protocol, and CDP. Reports support regulatory compliance, voluntary disclosure, and internal management.

Reporting Standards

Standard Comparison

Standard	Purpose	Scope	Verification
ISO 14064	GHG inventories	Organization level	Third-party
GHG Protocol	Corporate accounting	Global standard	Self/third-party
CDP	Disclosure platform	Investors/cities	Scored rating
TCFD	Climate risk	Financial reporting	Integrated
SBTi	Target setting	Net zero pathway	Validated
EU ETS	Emissions trading	Regulated entities	Mandatory

ISO 14064 Parts

Part	Focus
ISO 14064-1	Organization-level GHG inventory
ISO 14064-2	Project-level quantification
ISO 14064-3	Verification and validation

GHG Protocol Standards

Standard	Application
Corporate Standard	Company-wide inventory
Scope 2 Guidance	Purchased energy
Scope 3 Standard	Value chain emissions
Corporate Value Chain	Full supply chain

Report Types

Annual GHG Inventory

Required contents per ISO 14064-1:

1. Organizational boundaries

   • Operational control or equity share
   • Included/excluded facilities

2. Temporal boundaries

   • Reporting period (calendar/fiscal year)
   • Base year selection

3. Emission sources

   • Complete Scope 1/2/3 inventory
   • Source categories

4. Quantification methodology

   • Calculation approach
   • Emission factors used
   • Data sources

5. Results

   • Emissions by scope
   • Emissions by source
   • Intensity metrics

6. Uncertainty assessment

   • Data quality rating
   • Confidence intervals

7. Verification statement

   • Level of assurance
   • Verifier credentials

CDP Climate Questionnaire

Key sections for water utilities:

Section	Content
C0	Introduction
C1	Governance
C2	Risks and opportunities
C3	Business strategy
C4	Targets and performance
C5	Emissions methodology
C6	Emissions data
C7	Emissions breakdown

TCFD Recommendations

Pillar	Disclosures
Governance	Board oversight, management role
Strategy	Climate risks/opportunities, scenarios
Risk Management	Identification, assessment, management
Metrics & Targets	Scope 1/2/3, targets, performance

Benchmarking

Industry Benchmarks

By Plant Size

Size	kWh/ML	kg CO2e/ML
Small (<10 MLD)	500-800	400-600
Medium (10-50 MLD)	400-600	300-500
Large (>50 MLD)	300-500	200-400

By Technology

Configuration	kg CO2e/ML
Conventional AS	350-500
BNR	400-600
MBR	500-800
AS + Digestion	200-350
BNR + Digestion	250-400
Advanced recovery	100-250
Energy positive	-50 to 100

By Region

Region	Grid Factor	Typical Total
UK	0.21 kg/kWh	200-400 kg/ML
EU Average	0.28 kg/kWh	250-450 kg/ML
France	0.06 kg/kWh	150-300 kg/ML
USA	0.42 kg/kWh	300-500 kg/ML

Intensity Metrics

Metric	Unit	Description
Per volume	kg CO2e/m³	Treatment intensity
Per PE	kg CO2e/PE/y	Population equivalent
Per BOD	kg CO2e/kg BOD	Load-based
Per N removed	kg CO2e/kg N	Nutrient specific

Percentile Performance

Percentile	kg CO2e/ML	Rating
Top 10%	<200	Excellent
Top 25%	200-300	Good
Median	300-400	Average
Bottom 25%	400-500	Below average
Bottom 10%	>500	Poor

Dashboard Features

Real-Time Display

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    CARBON FOOTPRINT DASHBOARD              │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                            │
│  Total Emissions: 2,450 tCO2e/year    ▲ 3% vs baseline    │
│  Intensity: 0.34 kg CO2e/m³                               │
│                                                            │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ SCOPE BREAKDOWN                                       │ │
│  │                                                       │ │
│  │  Scope 1 ████████████████░░░░░░░░ 35% (858 t)        │ │
│  │  Scope 2 ██████████████████████░░ 48% (1,176 t)      │ │
│  │  Scope 3 ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 17% (416 t)        │ │
│  │                                                       │ │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                            │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ SOURCE BREAKDOWN                                      │ │
│  │                                                       │ │
│  │  Aeration         ██████████████████  40%            │ │
│  │  N2O emissions    ████████████        26%            │ │
│  │  Pumping          ██████              14%            │ │
│  │  Chemicals        █████               11%            │ │
│  │  Other            ████                9%             │ │
│  │                                                       │ │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                            │
│  [Monthly Trend]  [vs Target]  [vs Benchmark]  [Export]   │
│                                                            │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Performance Indicators

KPI	Display	Target
Total CO2e	Gauge	Annual target
Intensity	Trend line	Benchmark
Self-sufficiency	% dial	70%+
Scope 1 N2O	Trend	Reduction target
Energy efficiency	kWh/ML	Best practice

Alert Thresholds

Parameter	Warning	Alarm
Monthly emissions	+10% vs target	+20% vs target
N2O EF	>0.02	>0.03
Energy intensity	+15%	+25%
CHP availability	<90%	<80%

Report Generation

ErgoPlanner Report Outputs

Format	Content	Use Case
PDF Summary	Executive overview	Board reporting
Excel Workbook	Detailed data	Analysis, audit
CSV Export	Raw data	Integration
API JSON	Structured data	Automation

Report Templates

Executive Summary

CARBON FOOTPRINT SUMMARY REPORT
Reporting Period: [Year]

1. HEADLINES
   Total GHG Emissions: [X] tCO2e
   Change vs Previous Year: [X]%
   Change vs Base Year: [X]%

2. SCOPE BREAKDOWN
   [Table: Scope 1/2/3 by category]

3. KEY SOURCES
   [Pie chart: Top 5 emission sources]

4. PERFORMANCE VS TARGET
   [Gauge: Actual vs Target]

5. BENCHMARK COMPARISON
   [Bar chart: vs Industry]

6. REDUCTION OPPORTUNITIES
   [Table: Measure, Potential, Cost]

7. NEXT STEPS
   [Action items for next period]

Technical Detail Report

Sections:

1. Methodology statement
2. Boundary definition
3. Emission factor sources
4. Calculation details by source
5. Uncertainty analysis
6. Data quality assessment
7. Verification statement
8. Supporting documentation

Verification

Assurance Levels

Level	Description	Effort
Self-declaration	Internal review	Low
Limited assurance	Sample verification	Medium
Reasonable assurance	Full verification	High

Verification Scope

Element	Verified
Organizational boundary	Yes
Data completeness	Yes
Calculation accuracy	Yes
Emission factors	Yes
Methodology compliance	Yes
Reporting accuracy	Yes

Common Findings

Issue	Solution
Incomplete data	Gap analysis, estimation protocols
Inconsistent boundaries	Document exclusions
Outdated EFs	Annual review of factors
Missing documentation	Audit trail requirements

Configuration

Reporting Setup

{
  "reporting": {
    "organizationalBoundary": "operational-control",
    "reportingPeriod": {
      "start": "2024-01-01",
      "end": "2024-12-31"
    },
    "baseYear": 2020,
    "standards": ["ISO14064", "GHG-Protocol"],
    "scopes": {
      "scope1": {
        "processEmissions": true,
        "stationaryCombustion": true,
        "mobileCombustion": true,
        "fugitiveEmissions": true
      },
      "scope2": {
        "method": "location-based",
        "marketBasedAlso": true
      },
      "scope3": {
        "categories": [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12]
      }
    },
    "benchmarking": {
      "enabled": true,
      "comparisonGroup": "UK_municipal",
      "metrics": ["kgCO2e_per_ML", "kgCO2e_per_PE"]
    },
    "targets": {
      "2030": -30,
      "2040": -60,
      "2050": -100
    },
    "verification": {
      "required": true,
      "level": "limited"
    }
  }
}

Net Zero Pathway

Science Based Targets

Commitment	Requirement
1.5°C aligned	4.2% annual reduction
Well-below 2°C	2.5% annual reduction
Net zero (SBTi)	90%+ reduction by 2050

Pathway Report

NET ZERO PATHWAY TO 2050

Baseline (2020): 3,500 tCO2e

2025 Milestone: 3,150 tCO2e (-10%)
  - Energy efficiency measures
  - N2O monitoring and reduction

2030 Milestone: 2,450 tCO2e (-30%)
  - Biogas maximization
  - Partial renewable electricity

2040 Milestone: 1,400 tCO2e (-60%)
  - Full renewable electricity
  - Advanced N2O control
  - Chemical substitution

2050 Target: 350 tCO2e (-90%)
  - Energy positive operation
  - Minimal residual emissions
  - Offset requirement: 350 tCO2e

[Waterfall chart showing reductions]

Regulatory Compliance

UK Specific

Requirement	Applicability
ESOS	>250 employees or >€50M turnover
SECR	Large companies
Climate Change Agreements	Industrial processes
EU ETS successor	Large combustion

EU Specific

Requirement	Scope
CSRD	Large companies
EU Taxonomy	Sustainable activities
EU ETS	Combustion >20 MW

Voluntary Frameworks

Framework	Benefit
CDP	Investor transparency
RE100	Renewable commitment
SBTi	Science-based validation
Race to Zero	Net zero commitment

Export and Integration

Data Formats

System	Format	Content
CDP Online	Questionnaire	Annual submission
GHG Protocol Tool	Excel	Calculation workbook
ERP systems	CSV/API	Monthly data
Sustainability platforms	JSON	Automated reporting

Audit Trail

Element	Retention
Raw data	7 years
Calculations	7 years
Emission factors	Version controlled
Reports	Permanent
Verification statements	Permanent

Related Topics

• GHG Emissions
• Scope 1/2/3
• Biogas Production
• Energy Recovery
• Overview

References

1. ISO (2018). ISO 14064-1:2018 Greenhouse gases
2. WRI/WBCSD (2015). GHG Protocol Corporate Standard
3. CDP (2024). Climate Change Questionnaire
4. TCFD (2017). Recommendations of the Task Force
5. SBTi (2023). Net-Zero Standard
6. UKWIR (2020). Carbon Accounting Workbook