Carbon Baseline & Emissions Analysis That Turns Targets Into a Pathway
Engineering-led Scope 1 and 2 analysis for large pharmaceutical, food and beverage and chemical sites that hold a corporate carbon target but lack a site-level baseline detailed enough to act on.
- Engineering-led, built on real site energy data rather than corporate carbon accounting
- Scope 1 and 2 emissions quantified by source, system and process
- Every opportunity costed for savings, IRR, NPV, carbon and payback
- Ends in a phased, grant-aware decarbonisation roadmap
- Part of SHV Energy
- ISO 50001
What This Service Is
A Carbon Baseline and Emissions Analysis is the work EM3 carries out when a site needs to move from a general intent to reduce carbon to a clear, quantified understanding of where its emissions actually sit, what is driving them, and what a realistic reduction pathway looks like.
This is not a carbon accounting exercise. It is an engineering-led analysis built on real energy data, site operating conditions and a practical understanding of how utilities and processes behave. Packaged as a Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation roadmap, it assesses how energy is consumed across the facility, what drives carbon emissions, and where the genuine opportunities for energy and carbon savings lie.
The reason it matters is simple. Most large industrial sites already have a carbon target, and many already report emissions at corporate level. What they often lack is a site-level baseline detailed enough to support decisions. EM3 builds that picture properly, not as a static footprint number but as a working baseline you can use to prioritise projects, weigh trade-offs and structure a credible decarbonisation plan.
Governing standardGHG Protocol (Scope 1 & 2)
The Challenge It Solves
By the time a client asks for this service, the problem is rarely a lack of carbon ambition. It is that the site does not yet have enough clarity to turn that ambition into a credible plan.
A site may know its annual electricity and gas use, but not how those energy sources translate into emissions across utilities, processes and operating areas. The organisation may hold a corporate decarbonisation commitment, while the individual facility still cannot answer the practical questions that decide where to start:
- Where the current Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are coming from
- Which systems are driving the majority of the carbon footprint
- Which reduction opportunities are operationally realistic
- What sequence of actions makes sense financially and technically
How EM3 Delivers It
Data request and collection
You share historical electricity and gas data, billing information, a facility and process overview and any existing sub-metering. The aim is not simply to total energy use, but to understand what the site consumes, how it is consumed, and where the largest energy and carbon loads are likely to sit before the site visit begins.
Desktop analysis
We carry out an initial review of the data to identify the likely major consumers, key areas of interest and potential inefficiencies. The site visit is never exploratory in the loose sense; our engineers arrive with a working view of where emissions are most probably driven.
Onsite audit
Our engineers perform a detailed walkthrough of the facility, engage with operational personnel, validate the desktop findings and gather further data. Major systems such as steam boilers, compressed air, chilled water, HVAC and production areas are surveyed in context, with equipment data, drawings, temperatures, pressures and operating status recorded.
Carbon baseline build
We build the baseline as an energy and carbon breakdown by source, linking each energy source to its users, cost and emissions rather than reporting a single site total. Where metering is limited, engineering estimates and benchmarking are used, with every assumption clearly identified.
Opportunity development
We translate the baseline into a structured set of energy and carbon reduction opportunities, each tied to the actual systems and operating conditions on your site, and quantified for savings, investment, carbon and return.
Roadmap and reporting
We deliver the decarbonisation report and a phased strategy that sequences the work from current emissions to a reduced-carbon position, supported by a marginal abatement cost curve, grant analysis and a closing presentation to your team.
What You Receive
Energy, carbon and cost breakdown
A structured baseline of how energy use, cost and emissions are distributed across your systems and processes, broken down by source.
Carbon reduction waterfall and MACC
A carbon reduction waterfall and a marginal abatement cost curve that show how each measure contributes to the target and at what relative cost.
Electrical, fuel and water analysis
Dedicated electrical, fuel and water analyses that explain how each utility behaves and where it contributes to emissions and cost.
EnPIs and Significant Energy Users
Energy Performance Indicators where data allows, and a Significant Energy Users list that pinpoints the systems driving the majority of consumption.
Sankey diagram and renewables view
A Sankey diagram of energy flows that makes losses visible, alongside a feasibility view of on-site renewables.
Quantified opportunity list
Each opportunity with annual savings, an investment estimate, IRR, NPV, CO2 savings and payback, so the strongest measures are clear.
Phased strategy and grant funding
A recommended strategy to decarbonise in phases, with grant funding availability, supporting financial models and concept schematics, plus a closing presentation.
Proven Outcome
In one completed analysis at a large pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, EM3 established a full Scope 1 and 2 baseline. The site consumed around 25 million kWh in a single year at an energy cost of roughly 4.4 million euro, with total carbon emissions of 2,540 tonnes. Because the site purchases green electricity, grid and on-site solar carried no emissions in the analysis, and natural gas accounted for the entire reported footprint.
From that baseline, EM3 identified opportunities delivering 361,870 euro of annual savings while reducing the site carbon footprint by 63 percent, and modelled a broader net-zero pathway with its associated capital and rebate values. The client left with a working baseline, a quantified opportunity set and a phased route from current emissions to a reduced-carbon position, not a footprint number with no plan.
Why EM3
Independent of vendors
EM3 is an independent energy partner with no direct ties to equipment or service vendors, so recommendations are driven by total cost of ownership and lifecycle cost, not sales incentives.
Engineering-led, not carbon reporting
The baseline is built from actual site energy use, utility behaviour and operating conditions. Water and fuel analysis, EnPIs, SEUs, Sankey diagrams, opportunity lists and abatement cost curves are all part of the same engineering exercise.
Designed for decisions, not disclosure
Grant analysis, investment estimates, financial models and phased roadmaps mean you are left with a structured basis for prioritisation and capital discussion, not a carbon number on its own.
Part of SHV Energy
EM3 is part of SHV Energy, working across multiple countries with deep experience in energy-intensive manufacturing.
How We Engage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a carbon baseline and corporate carbon reporting?
Corporate reporting gives an organisation-level emissions total. A carbon baseline is a site-level, engineering-built picture that links each energy source to its users, cost and emissions, so you can prioritise projects and structure a reduction plan. It is a working tool for decisions, not a static footprint number.
What data do you need to build the baseline?
At minimum, site electricity and gas meter data, energy billing data, a facility layout and process overview, and any available sub-metering. Where metering is limited, we use engineering estimates and benchmarking techniques, with every assumption clearly identified in the report.
Does this cover Scope 3 emissions?
The analysis focuses on Scope 1 and Scope 2, the emissions a site can most directly measure and influence. Scope 3 sits outside the standard scope of this work and can be addressed separately where it is relevant to your targets.
How long does it take?
Around ten weeks for a full baseline and decarbonisation roadmap, covering data collection, desktop analysis, the onsite audit, opportunity development and final reporting. The exact timeline depends on site size and complexity.
How are the opportunities quantified?
Each opportunity comes with annual energy savings, an investment estimate, carbon reduction and financial metrics such as IRR, NPV and payback, presented alongside a marginal abatement cost curve so the strongest measures are clear.
What happens after the analysis?
The baseline and phased roadmap are built to lead straight into delivery: detailed design, grant applications and project implementation, with measurement and verification to confirm the savings achieved.
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