You don’t have to call yourself an environmentalist to see the value in embracing sustainability. At the end of the day, sustainable practices aren’t just altruistic, but good for business, helping companies reduce waste and scale faster.
In fact, a Harvard Business School study found that, on average, companies with high ESG—environmental, social, and governance—ratings enjoyed a lower cost of corporate debt and equity.
And that’s just the start.
Researchers have also recently discovered that both employees (70%) and customers (77%) are more loyal to brands that embrace sustainability.
While all this data provides solid motivation for business leaders to get a handle on their company’s environmental impact, identifying where to get started isn’t so simple.
This is especially complicated when you consider the myriad factors that contribute to a brand’s total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions—a critical measure of corporate sustainability that more and more businesses will need to report on in the coming years (see legislation from the EU and California for proof).
In this post, we’ll break down the key facets that go into measuring GHG emissions, and where the rubber meets the road when it comes to lowering your brand’s environmental impact without overextending your teams.
Measuring corporate GHG emissions
For starters, to get a holistic idea of your company’s carbon footprint, you must break out your organization’s polluting resources and activities by Scope (1, 2 or 3), which generally categorizes a factor based on your ability to directly control its emissions and output.
From there, your resources and activities are categorized as either Upstream—outside inputs that your company is still accountable to—or Downstream—activities or resources that are outputs from your company and contribute to other stakeholders’ carbon footprint.
There’s a third layer of categorization as well that overlays both Scope and ‘stream’: Direct or Indirect Influencers on total emissions.
Identifying, categorizing—then taking action
As the graphic above demonstrates, factors that fall within the Scope 1 category are the Direct polluters that businesses, in theory, have the most immediate control over when it comes to emissions.
From there, Scope 2 represents the resources businesses must bring in to make the Scope 1 factors a reality. While this includes electricity and HVAC for facilities, it also applies to the fuel and maintenance that will keep your company vehicles mobile.
Scope 3 generally applies to the Indirect emissions generated by employees that contribute to the material success of the business. In an Upstream scenario, these are often resources or activities that could be categorized as ancillary or even third-party, in that they contribute to emissions that are impacting the success of your business, but not directly born out of your ‘owned’ resources.
In a Scope 3 Downstream scenario, many of these emissions are the ‘necessary evils’ of doing business that may not be directly dictated or managed by the corporate mandate but leverage the tools of the business—ie. The actions taken by the recipients of an investment, or even a franchisee.
While there is much slicing-and-dicing that can be done around defining what materials or outputs belong where—and there is absolutely overlap with so many interdependencies required to do business—it’s clear that the biggest impact a team could arguable make is addressing the factors in Scope 1.
Best place to get started? Vehicle program
While your facilities and real estate dealings can take years to establish, creating a more sustainable vehicle program that lowers your Direct, Scope 1 impact on GHG emissions may be the fastest—and most impactful way—to gain more short-term sustainability.
To learn more about how to take control of your corporate ESG, download Motus’s 2025 Sustainability Report.
Within, we leave no stone unturned in uncovering ways to holistically tackle GHG emissions, as well as targeted steps to improve the sustainability of your driving workforce.
Read our report today to learn more, or reach out to our team to get started.
Business Sustainability FAQ: How to Reduce Your Environmental Impact
Why should my business focus on sustainability and reducing environmental impact?
Sustainability isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for business. According to a Harvard Business School study, companies with high ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ratings typically enjoy lower costs of corporate debt and equity. Research also shows that both employees (70%) and customers (77%) demonstrate greater loyalty to brands embracing sustainability practices. Beyond these immediate benefits, upcoming legislation from the EU and California indicates that more businesses will need to report their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the coming years, making sustainability a strategic priority.
How are corporate GHG emissions measured and categorized?
Corporate GHG emissions are categorized into three scopes:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from company-owned resources like facilities and vehicles that businesses have immediate control over
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy (electricity, heating, cooling) needed to operate Scope 1 resources
- Scope 3: All other indirect emissions related to business operations, including both upstream (supply chain) and downstream (product use, disposal) activities
These categories help organizations understand their total carbon footprint and identify areas where they can make meaningful improvements.
What’s the difference between Upstream and Downstream emissions?
In sustainability reporting:
- Upstream emissions are those generated by activities occurring before your operations, including purchased goods and services, business travel, employee commuting, and transportation of raw materials
- Downstream emissions occur after your products leave your facilities, including distribution, product use, end-of-life treatment, investments, and franchises
Understanding this distinction helps businesses develop targeted strategies for different parts of their value chain.
Where should businesses start when trying to reduce their environmental impact?
While there are many areas to address, the article suggests that vehicle programs offer one of the quickest and most impactful ways to reduce direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions. Unlike facilities and real estate changes that can take years to implement, creating a more sustainable vehicle program can deliver short-term sustainability gains. This approach allows businesses to make meaningful progress while developing longer-term strategies for other areas of environmental impact.
How can I learn more about improving my company’s environmental sustainability?
For comprehensive guidance on reducing GHG emissions and improving corporate sustainability, the article recommends downloading Motus’s 2025 Sustainability Report. This resource provides detailed strategies for holistically tackling emissions, with specific focus on improving the sustainability of driving workforces. Companies can also reach out directly to Motus’s team for personalized assistance in developing and implementing sustainability initiatives.
