What are fugitive emissions?
Fugitive emissions are intentional or accidental greenhouse gas releases from equipment rather than fuel combustion. The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard names equipment leaks, methane venting, refrigerant and air-conditioning releases, and gas-transport leaks. If you own or control the source, include it in your Scope 1 emissions.
Why do fugitive emissions matter to you?
CDP 2026 Question 7.6, or 20.4 for SMEs, asks for gross global Scope 1 in metric tonnes CO2e. Missing leaks understates that total. Ask facilities for equipment registers, gas type, service date, kilograms refilled or recovered, repair note, and contractor invoice.
How are fugitive emissions calculated?
For a known refrigerant loss, multiply kilograms lost by the gas's 100-year global warming potential (GWP), stated as kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO2e) per kilogram of gas. A service top-up can supply the activity record when the invoice confirms it replaced leaked gas. For methane, use the measured release or a documented estimate of the gas released, then apply the matching GWP. For refrigerants and fire-suppression gases, a mass balance estimates the release from gas bought, stored, added, recovered, sold, and disposed of.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Using the equipment's full charge as the annual leak.
- Counting a new-system charge as gas released.
- Using a GWP for the wrong gas or blend.
- Mixing kilograms and tonnes when adding the result.
Is every refrigerant top-up a fugitive emission?
No. Treat kilograms refilled as leakage activity only when the service record shows the refill replaced a loss. Exclude the first charge of new equipment and document any estimate.
What should you send when someone asks for fugitive emissions?
Send the equipment list, gas type, kilograms lost or refilled, dates, invoices, repair records, factor and GWP source, calculation, reporting boundary, and Scope 1 total.