A Guide to Scope 1-3 emissions for your fleet

Reducing your fleet’s carbon emissions is likely to be one of your top priorities for 2026. Carbon emissions are often emitted across a company’s entire operations. Yet, many businesses only focus on reducing the emissions they directly produce. To combat this, the terminology Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions was introduced by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, highlighting how carbon emissions are emitted across a business’s entire value chain.  

In this guide, we’ve broken down why Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions matter to your HGV fleet.  

What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions? 

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are how companies categorise where their carbon emissions are coming from. When reporting your fleet’s carbon output, depending on the size of your business, you may need to declare it in these three categories to comply with UK government regulations.  

Scope 1 emissions summary 

Definition: Scope 1 emissions are greenhouse gases emitted directly from sources that a company owns. 

Examples:  
Fuel combustion from mobile sources – such as company owned delivery trucks, vans or cars. 
Fuel combustion from stationary sources – such as burning fuel in a boiler or furnace. 
Fugitive emissions – unintentional leaks from equipment, such as refrigeration units. 
Agricultural emissions – such as emissions produced by livestock or fertiliser. 
Process emissions – are emitted from chemical reactions made during manufacturing. 

There are ways to measure fleet emissions – including CarbonTrace from Certas Energy. Designed for Certas Energy Fuel Card holders, CarbonTrace helps you reduce and report on your emissions – and comply with regulations. 

Want to know more about Scope 1 emissions? Read our complete guide, Understanding Scope 1 Emissions: What It Means for Fleet Managers. 

Scope 2 emissions summary 

Definition: Scope 2 emissions are greenhouse gasses a company causes indirectly from where the energy it buys and uses is produced. 

Examples:  
Electricity used in company buildings. 
Purchased steam for manufacturing processes. 
Emissions from district heating systems. 
Emissions from air conditioning or refrigeration systems.  

Scope 3 emissions summary 

Definition: Scope 3 emissions are all other emissions in a company’s value chain, usually resulting from activities up or downstream from the business’s direct operations.  

Examples:  
Emissions created from purchased raw materials, such as plastics or textiles. 
Emissions created by transporting purchased raw materials.  
Emissions generated from the production of purchased machinery. 
Greenhouse gases emitted from business travel.  
Emissions created from use of the products sold by the company.   

Why Scope 1-3 emissions matter for an HGV fleet

Understanding the Scope 1-3 emissions for your HGV fleet is a crucial step in meeting regulatory requirements, making efficiency improvements and cutting costs.  

Key benefits of analysing Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions for an HGV fleet include: 

Meeting regulatory compliance requirements: the UK government requires large companies to report on Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and it’s soon expected that UK companies will also need to start reporting on Scope 3 emissions too. 

Identifying opportunities to reduce emissions: with a full inventory of your fleet’s carbon emissions, it may be easier to identify where the biggest pain points are and where there might be quick wins for reducing your Scope emissions. Your Certas Energy Fuel Card can help you here, by bringing you access to HVO on the road at refuelling sites across the UK.  

Potential to cut costs: reducing your fleet’s 1-3 Scope emissions may lead to efficiency improvements and cost savings down the line. The Fuel Cards team at Certas Energy can work with you to measure how a Certas Energy Fuel Card could cut costs and streamline your HGV fleet’s refuelling process.  

How to reduce your fleet’s Scope emissions

There are plenty of options available to you if you want to reduce your fleet’s Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions.  

1. Switch to an alternative fuel 

Switching to an alternative fuel could help you significantly cut your GHG emissions. For instance, if you’re currently using diesel to power your fleet, you could switch to a drop-in alternative such as Certas Energy Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).  

Certas Energy HVO is made from 100% renewable raw materials and sustainable waste from verified vegetable fats and oils. By switching to Certas Energy HVO, you could cut your fleet’s lifecycle GHG emissions by up to 90%* compared to standard diesel. Plus, as Certas Energy HVO is a direct replacement for diesel, there’s no need for engine modifications or new vehicles. 

2. Enhance visibility and tracking  

Understanding how your fleet uses fuel and its impact is important for spotting areas to make changes. There are a number of ways a Certas Energy Fuel Card can help with this. The first is CarbonTrace – designed to help fuel card holders cut, control, monitor and report on fleet emissions. And the second is FuelTapp – the digital fuel card that makes managing and controlling fuel spend clear and simple. With no need for plastic cards, the card itself also has environmental benefits.

3. Improve vehicle maintenance

Ensuring your fleet is well maintained will help keep vehicles running at peak efficiency. This will in turn help to reduce your fleet’s fuel consumption, lowering emissions.  

4. Encourage supply chain sustainability 

You could look to reduce your Scope 3 emissions by opting for suppliers that also prioritise reducing their carbon footprint. You may want to look for suppliers who use alternative fuels, buy energy made from renewable resources or have adopted greener practices to help cut your value chain emissions.