Only 37 percent of the world’s largest companies report their greenhouse gas emissions fully and correctly, according to research from the Environmental Investment Organisation.
The Environmental Tracking Carbon Rankings, which examines the GHG emissions and transparency of the 800 largest companies globally, shows only 21 percent had their data externally verified. Additionally, only one firm, German chemical company BASF, reported emissions across its entire value chain, earning it the no. 1 spot in the 2013 rankings.
The other nine companies to make the top 10 list (see Figure 1) are Swisscom, Canada’s BCE, Singapore Telecom, Spain's Telefonica, BT Group, France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and Vodafone Group.
US-based First Energy and Edison International rank at the bottom of the list (see Figure 2) with no publicly reported emissions data. First Energy comes in last overall as the largest of the four utilities-sector companies; Edison International is saved from the bottom spot because it has a slightly smaller market value than First Energy, the report says.
The other bottom eight firms — primarily oil and gas companies — are Origin Energy, Pembina Pipeline, Oil Company Lukoil, Anadarko Petroleum, Phillips 66, EOG Resources, Surgutneftegas and Petrochina.
Value chain, or Scope 3 emissions, include those from sources not owned or directly controlled by the company but over which it has influence such as business travel, transportation, distribution and investments. Value chain emissions often represent the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and in some cases can account for up to 90 percent of the total carbon impact, according to the Carbon Trust.
Properly managing value chain, or Scope 3, emissions is a critical survival tool companies must use to gain competitive advantage in a resource-constrained future, according to a Carbon Trust column published earlier this week.
