Carbon Footprint Per Employee: Benchmarks by Industry for EU SMEs
Why Benchmarks Matter on Supplier Questionnaires
After you calculate your total emissions in tCO2e, procurement teams often compare you against sector peers. Some questionnaires ask directly: "What is your tCO2e per employee?" or "How does your emissions intensity compare to your sector average?"
If your figure seems implausibly low, buyers request a resubmission or mark your data quality as poor. If it is higher than peers, it does not automatically hurt your score — but you should be able to explain why.
Understanding where your emissions intensity sits before submitting your questionnaire allows you to contextualise the number confidently.
Carbon Intensity: The Two Most Common Metrics
tCO2e per employee — the most widely used intensity metric for service and light manufacturing businesses. Normalises for company size. Most useful for comparing within a sector.
tCO2e per €1m revenue — normalises for economic output. More useful for capital-intensive sectors where headcount does not reflect operational scale.
Both are automatically generated by DeCarbonOPS on your Carbon Passport.
EU SME Benchmarks by Sector
These ranges reflect typical Scope 1 + 2 + 3 operational intensity for EU SMEs using GHG Protocol methodology. They are intended as orientation, not targets.
| Sector | tCO2e/employee (typical range) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Professional services (law, consulting, finance) | 2–6 | Travel-heavy firms at upper end |
| IT and software | 2–5 | Cloud computing adds ~1–2 tCO2e/employee |
| Retail and e-commerce | 4–10 | Higher with owned delivery fleet |
| Office administration | 2–5 | Dominated by commuting and electricity |
| Light manufacturing | 15–40 | Wide range — gas and electricity intensive |
| Food processing | 20–60 | Cold chain and process energy driven |
| Construction | 20–60 | Diesel plant is dominant source |
| Logistics and haulage | 30–80 | Almost entirely Scope 1 diesel |
| Chemical manufacturing | 30–100 | Process emissions and refrigerants |
| Printing and packaging | 15–45 | Press electricity and ink use |
What to Do If Your Intensity Seems High
A high tCO2e/employee figure is not necessarily a problem — but it should be explainable. Common legitimate reasons:
- Manufacturing process — gas-intensive curing, drying, or heat treatment inflates Scope 1
- Cold storage — refrigerant-heavy operations have outsized Scope 1 from high-GWP gases
- Vehicle fleet — a delivery or service fleet with many diesel vehicles raises Scope 1 significantly
- High electricity use — a data centre, server room, or precision climate-controlled facility
In your methodology notes, add a sentence: "Our elevated emissions intensity reflects [process/fleet/facility type]. Reduction actions include [renewable energy tariff / fleet electrification / renewable heat]."
What to Do If Your Intensity Seems Low
A figure much lower than the sector range may indicate missing scope coverage. Check:
- Have you included Scope 3 Categories 3, 5, 6, and 7?
- Is your commuting estimate realistic for your actual headcount?
- If you have a vehicle fleet, is it included in Scope 1?
Reporting very low figures without explanation can prompt follow-up from buyers who compare you against sector peers.
Using the Benchmark as a Signup Check
If you have not yet calculated your emissions, you can use the benchmark to estimate whether your figure is likely to be material. For a 15-person professional services firm, expect total emissions in the range of 30–90 tCO2e. Generate your exact Carbon Passport free at DeCarbonOPS to replace the estimate with a verified number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average carbon footprint per employee for a UK SME?
The average varies significantly by sector. Office-based UK service firms typically fall in the range of 2–6 tCO2e per employee (Scope 1+2+3 operational). Light manufacturing 15–40 tCO2e. Construction 20–60 tCO2e. These figures include commuting, business travel, and waste — not just energy. A professional services firm with high international travel can reach 8–15 tCO2e/employee.
Is a higher tCO2e per employee automatically bad on a supplier questionnaire?
No. A higher intensity figure is contextual — energy-intensive manufacturing inherently produces more emissions per person than an office. What procurement teams look for is: (1) that the figure is plausible for your sector, (2) that you have a methodology statement explaining it, and (3) that you have or are developing a reduction plan. An honest high figure with context is better than a suspiciously low figure with no explanation.
Why is my tCO2e per employee much lower than the benchmark range?
The most common reason for an unusually low figure is incomplete scope coverage — specifically missing Scope 3. If you have employees who commute and the business occasionally flies, your Scope 3 should be non-zero. A 10-person firm with 10 km average commutes still generates approximately 5–8 tCO2e just from Category 7. Check that you have included all four material Scope 3 categories: WTT, waste, travel, and commuting.
What tCO2e per employee should I report if I have not yet calculated my emissions?
Do not estimate an intensity figure without calculation — procurement systems can detect inconsistent figures. Instead, calculate your actual emissions using DeCarbonOPS (free, under 20 minutes) and report the verified figure. Stating an unverified estimate creates risk if the buyer queries your methodology.
How do I benchmark my tCO2e per revenue rather than per employee?
Divide your total annual tCO2e by your revenue in EUR millions. For reference: UK professional services firms typically report 1–5 tCO2e per £1m revenue. UK manufacturers typically report 10–40 tCO2e per €1m revenue. Logistics companies often report 20–80 tCO2e per €1m revenue depending on fleet intensity. DeCarbonOPS generates both per-employee and per-revenue intensity figures on your Carbon Passport automatically.
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