This data covers the year ended 31 December 2013 in line with the Group’s financial reporting period.

CO2e emissions breakdown (in tonnes)

Emission source
   Base year
2013 2012 2011 2010 2006
Scope 1 Natural gas combustion 8,757 7,584 7,486 7,666 1,946
  Heating oil combustion 2,548 2,256 2,228 2,301 682
  Total scope 1 emissions 11,305 9,840 9,714 9,967 2,628
Scope 2 Total purchased electricity at grid average intensity (gross) 157,471 164,212 152,968 149,055 149,728
  Less purchases of renewable electricity (see note 6) (21,299) (23,765) (22,572) (23,028) –
  Total scope 2 emissions (net) 136,172 140,447 130,396 126,027 149,728
Scope 3 Business air travel 95,879 96,079 100,960 86,340 81,714
  Other estimated scope 3 emissions (see note 4) 36,503 36,955 36,161 33,350 35,111
  Total scope 3 emissions 132,382 133,034 137,121 119,690 116,825
  Total CO2e emissions (net) 279,859 283,321 277,231 255,684 269,181
  Total CO2e emissions (gross) 301,158 307,086 299,803 278,712 269,181

WPP's carbon intensity (in tonnes of CO2e)

          Base year
Intensity metric 2013 2012 2011 2010 2006
Tonnes per employee (net) 2.35 2.45 2.44 2.46 3.39
Percentage change from 2006 -31% -28% -28% -27% –
Tonnes per £m of revenue (net) 25.40 27.31 27.66 27.40 45.56
Percentage change from 2006 -44% -40% -39% -40% –

Office energy use (in megawatt hours)

          Base year
Energy type 2013 2012 2011 2010 2006
Direct energy use (natural gas and heating oil) 52,532 45,673 45,090 46,244 12,099
Indirect energy use (purchased electricity) 328,374 323,582 307,245 303,456 295,396
Total energy use 380,906 369,255 352,335 349,700 307,495
% of electricity from renewable sources 15% 16% 16% 16% 0%

Notes to WPP’s carbon emissions statement 2013

  1. Reporting standard
    Our carbon emissions statement 2013 has been prepared in accordance with the World Resource Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, Revised Edition (the GHG Protocol).

  2. Greenhouse gases
    All greenhouse gases emissions figures are in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). They include three of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) emissions have been omitted from our reporting as they are not a material source of greenhouse gases for WPP.

  3. Organisational boundary
    Emissions data is included for all operations for which WPP and its subsidiaries have operational control. This covers 119,116 employees. Associate companies are excluded.

  4. Operational boundary
    We include the following emissions in our reporting:
    • Direct emissions (scope 1):
      • Fuel used to heat WPP premises (combustion of natural gas and heating oil).
    • Indirect emissions (scope 2):
      • All purchased electricity, including electricity purchased at grid average carbon intensity and renewable electricity purchased under specific green-tariff contracts.
    • Other indirect emissions (scope 3):
      • Employee business air travel.
      • An estimate for other scope 3 emissions that we do not currently measure, including emissions from leased cars, taxis and couriers. This estimate is an additional 15% that we add to our carbon footprint and is shown under ‘other estimated scope 3 emissions’.
  5. Geographic scope
    Our CO2e emissions data covers our worldwide operations.

  6. Emission factors
    CO2e emissions have been calculated on the basis of measured or estimated energy use, fuel use and miles travelled, multiplied by the relevant carbon emission factors. In 2013, we updated our emission factors for scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3 emissions, and our data is based on the following emissions factors:
Emission scope Emission factors used
Scope 1
(fuel used to heat WPP premises) 		IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (using global warming potentials from the 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report).
Scope 2
(purchased electricity) 		International Energy Agency, CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion, 2013 edition.
Scope 3
(business air travel) 		UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Conversion Factors for Company Reporting (2013).

When calculating our carbon footprint, we rate purchased renewable electricity as zero emissions. For full transparency, we also disclose total electricity purchased at grid average carbon intensity.

  1. Data collection methodology
    Data used to calculate CO2e emissions is collected quarterly through WPP’s financial reporting system, and includes some estimated data (e.g. in some locations electricity usage is estimated based on headcount or floor space). In 2013, our data covered 99% of our operations by employee headcount. The remaining 1% was extrapolated based on the Group’s total headcount at year-end.

  2. External assurance
    Our carbon data is reviewed by Bureau Veritas, an independent assurance provider. Following its review of our 2012 data, Bureau Veritas made a number of recommendations for improving our approach. We have implemented many of these in our 2013 reporting process. This includes updating our reporting guidelines and issuing a reporting tool to help our companies use data during the year to manage performance. See the assurance statement.
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