Our Carbon Footprint: What we measure and why

OP PRESS | 04

With the release of our annual Open Project CO2 emissions report, we want to put the spotlight on carbon; how we approach emissions, why we have chosen to measure some things and not others, and why we believe environmental responsibility needs to extend beyond carbon accounting.

Carbon Emissions in a Nutshell  

Carbon exists everywhere in nature - in our atmosphere, rocks, soil, oceans, sediments and in all living things. 

The continuous movement of carbon between living things and our atmosphere is our Earth’s active carbon cycle. Human activities have increased the levels of carbon in the active carbon cycle. 

1.3-1.6kWh of grid electricity produces roughly 1kg of CO2 (in Australia). . 

With this amount of electricity, you could power: 

What We Measure, and Why 

There are 3 scopes of carbon emissions. 

Scope 1 includes the combustion of fuels linked to Open Project’s direct activities, like those in company owned vehicles 

Scope 2 covers the energy we use directly, such as electricity used for heating and lighting in our Open Project work spaces. 

Scope 3 includes everything beyond our direct operations, like raw material extraction, manufacturing and transportation. 

We don’t currently measure Scope 3. It’s not because we don’t think these emissions matter. Quite the opposite. The majority of our emissions fall under this scope, but they are much harder to measure accurately. 

To calculate Scope 3, we need detailed information from across our supply chain including the extraction of raw materials (such as organic cotton), transportation, and everything else that happens before a product reaches us. In our experience, this level of information hasn’t always been available or reliable. 

Measuring Scope 3 therefore often relies upon industry average data or estimates based on how much a company spends. These approaches can be useful for getting a general picture, but they may not reflect what is actually happening. Emissions can vary between suppliers depending on where they are located and production processes. 

At this stage, we don’t have capacity to do this in a way we can feel confident about. So rather than investing in Scope 3 calculations, we focus on reducing emissions associated with our products through the choices we make. We prioritise certified recycled or organic materials, design products for longevity, use compostable packaging and promote circularity through product repair partnerships. 

We measure our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions annually and make these publicly available in our annual report. 

Where We Stand on Carbon Offsetting 

Carbon offsetting is often presented as a simple way to deal with emissions: calculate your footprint, purchase an equivalent amount of offsets, and consider the emissions accounted for.

In practice, it isn’t so straightforward.

One carbon credit is supposed to account for the permanent removal of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide. In truth, the carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels is fundamentally different to the way carbon is stored above ground in newly planted trees. 

Burning fossil fuels releases carbon stored for millions of years, which adds massive amounts of carbon to the active carbon cycle. 

Planting new trees does not result in the storage of carbon deep underground - in fact the carbon produced from fossil fuel remains in the active cycle. 

Our Thinking Beyond Carbon 

While measuring and reducing our carbon emissions remains very important, our impact extends beyond carbon. The resources we use, the products we make, and the land and ecosystems that support us are all part of a bigger picture.

An ecological footprint considers this broader impact - including the amount of land needed to provide the natural resources we use. The food we eat, the water we consume, how we travel, the homes we live in, and the products we purchase all contribute to our ecological footprint. 

Our partnership with Bio·R is one way we can contribute to reducing our ecological footprint. Bio·R is a South Australian grassroots charity that goes beyond planting trees for carbon capture. Their work focuses on protecting and regenerating natural ecosystems, led by science and undertaken at a scale that can support biodiversity. Rather than trying to match an individual's carbon emissions with an equivalent number of carbon credits, Bio·R encourages the restoration of a hectare of habitat.

We have adopted this way of thinking about environmental responsibility. A hectare of resilient habitat is something tangible. It can be seen, visited and measured. It provides a place for native plants and animals to thrive, helps restore biodiversity and gives something back to the landscape over time.

What This Means for Open Project 

We are proud to partner with Bio·R and donate 3% of our profits each year to support their work. This partnership is a way to give something back to the environment by contributing to the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems. It’s not about claiming to cancel out our emissions or replacing the work of measuring and reducing our carbon footprint. It’s about making a positive contribution while we continue to take responsibility for our impact. 

We still need to understand our carbon emissions and reduce them wherever we can. That’s why we measure our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions annually, make them publicly available and continue to look for ways to improve, like electrifying our operations. 

While we don’t yet measure Scope 3, we consciously try to minimise our impact across the life cycle of our products by designing products that last, using certified recycled materials, choosing sustainable packaging and implementing circularity initiatives including our repair partnership and foam replacement program. 

To read more about our impact, check out The Project.  To learn more about Bio·R, head to their website - or even better, get your hands dirty at their annual planting festival. We’ll see you there. 

Open Project Team

REFERENCES: 

Bio·R Australia (n.d.) Bio·R Australia: Reconstructing habitat for biodiversity. Available at: https://www.bior.org.au/ (Accessed: 29 August 2026)

Marlowe, J. and Clarke, A. (2022) ‘Carbon Accounting: A Systematic Literature Review and Directions for Future Research’, Green Finance, 4(1), pp. 71–87. doi: 10.3934/GF.2022004

Romm, J., Lezak, S. and Alshamsi, A. (2025) ‘Are carbon offsets fixable?’, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 50, pp. 649–680. 

Suraci, O. (2021) ‘The Best-Dressed Polluter – Regulation and Sustainability in the Fashion Industry’, Hastings Environmental Law Journal, 27(2), pp. 225–242.