Defining scope 1, 2 and 3

Copenhagen Airports accounts for its climate impact in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, dividing our greenhouse gas emissions into three scopes:

  • Scope 1: Direct emissions from fossil fuels consumed in assets (vehicles, motorised equipment, etc.) operated by Copenhagen Airports.
  • Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased electricity and district heating consumed in buildings and other assets operated by Copenhagen Airports.
  • Scope 3: All other indirect emissions associated with Copenhagen Airports' activities, such as aircraft operations in the landing and take-off cycle, and passenger ground transport to and from the airport. 

Our footprint and targets

According to the SBTi Corporate Net Zero Standard, companies can reach net zero by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% relative to an appropriate baseline year and compensating for any remaining emissions by purchasing reputable carbon removal credits.   

By 2030, we aim to reach net zero across scope 1 and 2. For Copenhagen Airports, this means that we will reduce the emissions from our own operations by 90% compared to 2019. We will compensate for the remaining emissions by investing in carbon removal credits (read more about these under Climate Compensation).  

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has adopted a long-term aspirational goal of achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. At Copenhagen Airports, we are working on developing a value chain decarbonisation strategy to reduce our scope 3 emissions and support this long-term aspirational goal. However, decarbonising the aviation industry is a significant challenge, and the journey towards an airport with net zero emissions is complex with many unknowns.

The illustration below shows the estimated contribution from each emission source (scope 1-3) to the carbon footprint of our value chain.