For many of us in the wedding industry, our work is inspired by beauty, legacy, and the celebration of a future together. However, as the climate crisis intensifies, ensuring that our businesses contribute to a thriving future has become a commercial and ethical necessity.
Couples are increasingly environmentally conscious; they are looking for transparency and want to know that their “Big Day” doesn’t come with a big carbon footprint. But where do you start? How do you move from “being green” to actually measuring, reducing, and tracking your impact?
The answer lies in understanding the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, which categorises emissions into three “Scopes.” Here is your roadmap to understanding your footprint and taking decisive action.
Understanding the Scopes: 1, 2, and 3
To manage your emissions, you first need to categorise them. According to the GHG Protocol, emissions are divided into three groups:
Scope 1: Direct Emissions
These are emissions from sources that your business directly owns or controls. The shorthand for Scope 1 is “burn” because it includes things your business burns – fuel to heat or power buildings, vehicles, and other equipment.
Example: Fuel used in a company-owned van for flower deliveries or gas used to heat your studio or venue.
Scope 2: Indirect Energy Emissions
These are emissions from the generation of purchased energy. The shorthand for Scope 2 is “buy” because your business typically buys energy to run its operations.
Example: The electricity you buy from the grid to power your lights, computers, and appliances. While the emissions happen at the power plant, they are credited to you because you are using the energy.
Scope 3: The Value Chain (The Big One)
Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in your company’s value chain. For most wedding businesses, Scope 3 accounts for more than 70% of the total footprint (Source: Plan A). It is often the hardest to measure but the most important to tackle.
Deep Dive: The 15 Categories of Scope 3
To help businesses track these complex emissions, Scope 3 is broken down into 15 distinct categories. As a wedding pro, you won’t have emissions in all of them, but understanding them is key to your supply chain audit.
- Purchased Goods and Services: Everything you buy, from floral foam to wedding stationery.
- Capital Goods: Final products that have a long life, like a new camera body or a marquee.
- Fuel- and Energy-Related Activities: Emissions related to the production of the fuels and energy you purchased (not covered in Scope 1 or 2).
- Upstream Transportation and Distribution: The emissions from couriers delivering supplies to you.
- Waste Generated in Operations: Emissions from waste sent to landfill or wastewater treatment.
- Business Travel: Flights, trains, or taxis taken by you or your team for weddings or meetings.
- Employee Commuting: How your team gets to work.
- Upstream Leased Assets: Operation of assets you lease (if not included in Scope 1 or 2).
- Downstream Transportation and Distribution: Shipping finished products to your clients.
- Processing of Sold Products: (Less common in weddings) Emissions from further processing of a product you sold.
- Use of Sold Products: Emissions generated when a client uses your product (e.g., a client lighting candles you sold them).
- End-of-Life Treatment of Sold Products: Waste disposal of products at the end of their life (e.g., what happens to a wedding dress after the day).
- Downstream Leased Assets: Assets you own but lease to others (e.g., hiring out decor).
- Franchises: Emissions from the operation of franchises you own.
- Investments: Emissions related to your business investments.
Practical Tips for Getting Started
Measurement can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it all at once.
- Audit your utility bills: Look at your annual kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage for Scope 2.
- Review your accounts: Your bookkeeping software is a goldmine for Scope 3. Look at what you spend on travel, materials, and deliveries.
- Engage your suppliers: Start asking your core suppliers if they have their own carbon reduction plans. If they don’t, it might be time to look for partners who align with your values.
- Think “Circular”: Can you reduce waste (Category 5) by hiring rather than buying, or composting green waste?
Knowledge is Power: Get Carbon Literate
We know that as a small business owner, you are wearing many hats. Becoming a “carbon accountant” on top of being a photographer, florist, or planner is a big ask.
That is why we highly recommend attending Carbon Literacy Training for Wedding Pros. This training is specifically designed for our industry. It moves past the jargon and gives you the knowledge and confidence to understand exactly why and how to reduce your emissions. It’s about creating an actionable plan that fits your business, not a generic corporate template.
How the SWA Can Help
Within the Sustainable Wedding Alliance (SWA) membership, we are committed to making this transition as simple as possible. We offer:
- Specific training on measurement: Breaking down the Scopes and the 15 categories into manageable chunks.
- Access to tools: Simplified calculators and templates.
- Resource library: Everything you need to create a credible Carbon Reduction Plan.
Reducing your emissions is a journey of a thousand steps, but the first one is simply understanding your numbers. By measuring and tracking your footprint, you aren’t just helping the planet – you are building a more resilient, efficient, and attractive business for the modern couple.
Ready to start? Join our next Carbon Literacy training or explore our membership resources today.
