Carbon and BRSR glossary

Plain definitions of the carbon accounting and reporting terms used on KarbonZ, from Scope 1, 2 and 3 to BRSR, emission factors and CO2e. Each definition is written for someone meeting the term for the first time, and links back to where it matters in the product.

BRSR: Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting: the sustainability disclosure SEBI requires from India’s largest listed companies, including greenhouse gas emissions.
BRSR Core: A subset of BRSR indicators, including greenhouse gas emissions, that SEBI requires to be assured for the largest listed companies.
Carbon footprint: The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, a home or an organisation over a period, expressed in CO2e.
CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent): A single unit for all greenhouse gases, converting each to the amount of CO2 that would cause the same warming.
kgCO2e and tCO2e: Kilograms and tonnes of CO2e. KarbonZ shows individual emissions in kg and organisation reports in tonnes.
Emission factor: A number that converts an activity, such as a kWh of electricity or a litre of petrol, into emissions.
Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources a company owns or controls, such as its boilers and vehicles.
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the electricity, heat or steam a company buys.
Scope 3: All other indirect emissions in a company’s value chain, including employee commuting and the goods and services it buys.
GHG Protocol: The most widely used standard for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. It defines Scopes 1, 2 and 3 and the fifteen Scope 3 categories.
Baseline: Your starting footprint, built from your first answers. Later months are compared with it.
Corporate ID: Your organisation’s KarbonZ identifier, in the form KarbonZ-NNNN. Employees enter it to link their account.
KarbonZ score: A number from 300 to 900 summarising an individual’s carbon performance. 900 is reached only through certification.
K-S3BS: The KarbonZ scoring standard behind the KarbonZ score.
KXP: KarbonZ points, earned for actions such as verifying a bill. They count towards rewards.