UNICEF’s Scope 3 Supply Emissions – Greenhouse Gas Baseline Report reflects our strong commitment to transparency and the climate agenda.
It highlights our commitment with our supply chain partners, as outlined in our Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. This includes reducing supply chain and operational emissions while contributing to national social services’ adaptation and resilience through high-quality products and services.
UNICEF undertook this comprehensive assessment of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in our supply chains (or “scope 3” emissions) to understand where our hotspots and exposures are and prioritize actions to address these hotspots, set evidence-based targets, and initiate a monitoring and reporting framework that will allow us to transparently track progress over time.
Scope 3 emissions are defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which outlines three scopes for measuring, reducing, and mitigating GHG emissions. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from sources controlled by an organization, such as company vehicles or generators. Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from electricity, heating, or cooling used in offices.
Scope 3 covers other indirect emissions, such as those resulting from purchased goods and services, staff travel, and waste management. It is the most complex category to calculate and, on average, 11.4 times larger than a company’s direct emissions.
Narrative report and compendium
This narrative report is supplemented by a compendium with additional details on the methodology, assumptions and findings for the product categories identified as critical points in the Scope 3 baseline assessment.
The analysis was carried out in 2023 using 2019 as the baseline year. Many recommendations are already being implemented, and as such, this report and compendium serve as a snapshot. UNICEF is working to continuously improve our analysis and intensify climate action.
Supply chains
Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C requires a 90 percent reduction in GHG emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 by 2050, and at least a 45 percent reduction from pre-industrial levels by 2030.
As the UN agency with the largest procurement volume, UNICEF plays a vital role in driving climate action and sustainability through its supply chains.
Since 2015, UNICEF has made meaningful progress to:
- Report direct operational emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and business travel under Scope 3);
- Reduce avoidable emissions; and
- Offset unavoidable emissions by purchasing Adaptation Fund carbon credits through the UNFCCC.
The next critical step is to transition supply chains toward more sustainable sourcing that protects today’s children without compromising the future of generations to come.
Sustainability agenda
Climate action is a core pillar of UNICEF’s broader sustainability agenda. Many of the challenges related to Scope 3 mitigation also apply to our other sustainability goals.
Our climate efforts go hand in hand with initiatives in circular economy and waste reduction, eliminating hazardous and toxic exposures, ensuring access to clean water and air, and addressing social priorities for workers and children. Localized operations, ethical procurement, and equity considerations also play key roles.
Globally, approximately 1 billion children (nearly half of the world’s children) live in countries at “extremely high risk” from climate change impacts, according to the Children’s Climate Risk Index.
Operations and supply chains
Scope 3 emissions from UNICEF’s international supply operations, managed through the Supply Division (SD), were estimated at 3.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂e) in 2019—equivalent to emissions from approximately 870,000 cars in one year.
These emissions account for over 98 percent of UNICEF’s total emissions in 2019. (Scopes 1 and 2 combined totaled just 0.03 Mt CO₂e.) This estimate includes Scope 3 emissions under the operational control of the SD, excluding Scopes 1 and 2 and Scope 3 emissions beyond SD’s control. 2019 was chosen as the baseline year to avoid temporary impacts on procurement resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICEF has much more to learn, but this analysis addresses the key drivers of UNICEF’s overall Scope 3 emissions (procurement of international goods and services through SD).
Engaging suppliers
Four product categories were identified as responsible for 80 to 90 percent of UNICEF’s international supply-related Scope 3 emissions: vaccines, nutrition products, cold chain equipment, and international freight.
Efforts to reduce Scope 3 emissions must therefore focus on these product categories, where the emission footprint is most concentrated. Supplier engagement is essential to reduce emissions and move toward a science-based reduction pathway.
The advantage of the insights contained in this report is that emissions are relatively concentrated in specific product markets. This means that meaningful impact can be achieved by working with a relatively small number of suppliers in the early stages of carbon reduction efforts.
Maderera Bozovich is a company committed to the environment; each of its practices seeks to have a minimal impact on nature, so it has certain standards and processes that help preserve the forests.
An example of how organizations can manage indirect Scope 3 emissions is the work of companies such as Maderera Bozovich. Focused on sustainability, they are in the process of certification to issue carbon credits under the REDD program, which addresses avoided deforestation.
