Standardised carbon emissions framework (SCEF) revised
Who is this resource for?
- Universities and colleges in the UK and Ireland
- It will be particularly relevant for sustainability professionals and estates teams leading on carbon emissions reporting
What will this resource help you do?
This framework provides you with guidance on how to calculate and report your institution’s carbon emissions.
The tool was developed with the Department for Education to bring consistency to the way that universities and colleges across the UK and Ireland report carbon emissions data.
The methodology is based on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, the world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standard.
The guidance is considered excellent practice and complements other guidance such as:
- Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) that requires certain businesses to report energy and carbon data in their annual accounts
What's new?
This is version 2 of the resource, published in September 2026.
This version included updated reporting guidance for the following areas:
- Scope 3 emissions, including supply chain, travel, homeworking and investments
- Land and livestock
- Electricity and renewable energy
Resource history
- September 2026 - version 2 published
- 2022 - version 1 published after consultation with the Department for Education and sector bodies such as the Association of Colleges, Colleges Scotland and Universities UK
Funders and thanks
This resource was created by EAUC with support from the Scottish Funding Council. This version was created with help from Glasgow Caledonian University, Nottingham Trent University, University of the West of England and Imperial College London.
The first version was funded by the Department for Education and developed with input from across the post-16 education sector, including the Association of Colleges, Colleges Scotland and Universities UK.
EAUC would like to thank all those involved in developing this crucial tool for the sector.
Linked or related resources
- The cost of net zero calculator
- Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR)
- HESA’s Estates Management Report (EMR)
Further information
For questions, comments or feedback on this resource, please contact: info@eauc.org.uk
| 28 September 2026 | |
| Resource | |
| SCEF Version 2 | |
| EAUC | |
| Back to top |
