Let me guess.
Someone in leadership just discovered that Scope 3 exists. And now you're supposed to measure it. Report on it. Reduce it.
Oh, and by the way—scope 3 emissions, on average, account for 75% of total emissions across sectors, with some industries like food and beverage reaching 87%.
No pressure.
So you start Googling "Scope 3 consultant" and... everyone claims they can help. Big firms. Small firms. Solo consultants. Software companies.
How do you know who actually knows what they're doing?
Spoiler: Most of them don't.
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Why Scope 3 Is Different (And Way Harder)
Look, I get it. Carbon accounting sounds straightforward. Count the carbon. Done.
Except Scope 3 isn't like that.
Scope 1 and 2? You control those. Your facilities, your energy. You have the data (or can get it pretty easily).
Scope 3? That's everything OUTSIDE your operations. Your suppliers. Your products being used. Your products being thrown away. Business travel. Employee commutes. The whole messy value chain.
Scope 3 emissions are particularly difficult to measure because they are not under the direct control or oversight of the reporting company, often requiring collaboration with suppliers and life-cycle assessments of products.
It's like being held responsible for what happens in other people's businesses. Businesses you don't control. Who might not even track their own emissions.
Fun, right?
This is why finding a good Scope 3 consultant is critical. Because if they don't know what they're doing, you'll waste six months and thousands of dollars on data that's either wrong or useless.
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The Scope 3 Consultant Landscape (It's a Mess)
Here's what the market looks like right now:
Type 1: The Software Sellers
These companies sell you carbon accounting software and call themselves "consultants."
Their pitch: "Our platform automates everything!"
Reality: Their platform needs you to input data. Which you don't have. Because your suppliers don't track emissions.
So you end up with a fancy dashboard showing... nothing.
Type 2: The Big Firm Generalists
These are the McKinseys and Deloittes of the world.
Their pitch: "We have a comprehensive approach to supply chain decarbonization."
Reality: They charge €150K+, give you a strategy deck, and hand you off to a 24-year-old analyst who's learning Scope 3 on your dime.
Type 3: The Academic Types
These consultants know the GHG Protocol inside and out. They can cite every category, every calculation method, every edge case.
Their pitch: "We ensure methodological rigor and protocol compliance."
Reality: They're great at theory, less great at "your supplier in Vietnam doesn't respond to emails, what now?"
Type 4: The Actual Specialists
These are the people who've done Scope 3 projects for 5+ years. In your industry. Who know both the technical stuff AND how to actually get suppliers to cooperate.
Their pitch: "We've collected Scope 3 data from 2,000+ suppliers in similar situations. Here's our playbook."
Reality: They're rare. They're expensive. And they're 100% worth it.
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What to Look for in a Scope 3 Consultant
Okay, so how do you separate the specialists from the pretenders?
1. Industry-Specific Experience
McKinsey highlighted that drivers of Scope 3 emissions differ by sector, meaning organisations must evaluate the best methods for reducing carbon emissions based on their specific industry.
Scope 3 looks completely different depending on your industry:
- Manufacturing: Upstream raw materials, downstream product use - Retail: Supply chain dominates, customer use varies by product - Tech: Minimal upstream, huge downstream (product usage, servers) - Food & Bev: Agriculture upstream, refrigeration and waste downstream
If a consultant says "we work with all industries," they're probably not deep specialists in any.
Ask: "How many Scope 3 projects have you done in [your specific industry]?"
If the answer isn't "a bunch," keep looking.
2. Supplier Engagement Experience
Here's the thing nobody tells you: Calculating Scope 3 emissions is no easy task because you may still be confused about what data your company needs and where to get it from.
The hard part of Scope 3 isn't the math. It's getting suppliers to give you data.
Especially suppliers who: - Have never tracked emissions before - Don't see why they should help you - Are overwhelmed and barely respond to emails - Are in countries where sustainability isn't a priority yet
Good Scope 3 consultants have done this dance before. They know: - How to write supplier requests that actually get responses - What incentives work (and don't work) - When to use spend-based estimates vs. push for real data - How to build relationships that make future data collection easier
Ask: "What's your typical supplier response rate? And how do you handle non-responders?"
If they can't give you specific strategies, that's a red flag.
3. Pragmatic Methodology (Not Just "GHG Protocol Compliant")
Yes, your consultant needs to follow the GHG Protocol. That's baseline.
But here's the secret: More specific collection methods lead to higher quality Scope 3 emission data, but companies can start with spend-based calculations when detailed data isn't available, then work toward activity-based calculations as they gather more information.
Real experts know you can't go from zero to perfect data in one year.
They'll help you: - Start with spend-based estimates (rough but fast) - Identify your biggest emission categories (focus there first) - Build supplier engagement gradually (not all at once) - Improve data quality over time (iterative approach)
Bad consultants say: "We need supplier-specific data for everything."
Good consultants say: "Here's a pragmatic path from rough estimates to high-quality data over 2-3 years."
4. Change Management Skills
Nobody talks about this, but it's huge.
Scope 3 isn't just a technical project. It's a change management project.
You need: - Procurement team to change how they vet suppliers - Supply chain team to add sustainability requirements - Legal to update contracts - Finance to potentially allocate budget differently - Leadership to actually care about supplier emissions
Tackling Scope 3 emissions and building a supply chain carbon reduction strategy requires third parties to report on and share their own Scope 1 and 2 emissions, creating complexity due to multitude of sources and inconsistency in data.
If your consultant shows up, collects some data, writes a report, and leaves... you haven't actually solved anything.
Good consultants help you build internal processes that make this sustainable long-term.
Ask: "How do you help companies build ongoing Scope 3 processes, not just one-time reporting?"
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Red Flags That Scream "This Person Will Waste Your Money"
🚩 They promise "complete accuracy"
Nobody can give you 100% accurate Scope 3 data in year one. If they promise that, they're lying or don't understand Scope 3.
🚩 They want to measure all 15 categories at once
Not every category will be relevant to an organization, hence it is essential that companies first start with a screening process to determine which categories are most significant.
Smart consultants help you prioritize. Dumb ones try to boil the ocean.
🚩 They can't explain things without jargon
If they can't explain Scope 3 Category 1 in plain English, they don't actually understand it—they just memorized the definition.
🚩 They've only done Scope 3 for one type of company
Maybe they're amazing at tech companies. But if you're in manufacturing, their playbook might not work.
🚩 They don't mention supplier engagement at all
This means they think Scope 3 is a desk job. It's not. It's a relationship job.
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How Much Should This Cost?
Real talk: Scope 3 projects aren't cheap.
Basic Scope 3 Inventory (first time): - Small company (<€50M revenue): €20K-40K - Mid-size company (€50M-€500M): €40K-80K - Large company (€500M+): €80K-200K+
Why the huge range?
- Complexity of supply chain - Number of suppliers - Data availability - Geographic spread - Industry-specific challenges
What's included: - Category screening (which ones matter) - Data collection methodology - Supplier engagement templates - Preliminary calculations - Report aligned with GHG Protocol - Basic reduction recommendations
What's NOT included: - Ongoing data collection (that's usually separate) - Detailed reduction strategies (another project) - Supplier training programs (extra cost) - Third-party verification (different service)
Pro tip: Get quotes from 3-5 consultants. If one is dramatically cheaper, there's a reason. They're either inexperienced or underscoping.
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Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Don't just accept a proposal. Interview them. Here are the questions that separate good from mediocre:
"Walk me through the last Scope 3 project you did that's similar to ours."
You want details. Company size, industry, challenges they faced, how they solved them, results.
"What's your typical supplier response rate?"
Good consultants get 60-70%+. If they can't tell you, they haven't done enough projects.
"How do you handle suppliers who refuse to participate?"
There's no perfect answer, but you want to see they have strategies beyond "well, we'll use estimates."
"What's your approach to data quality?"
You want them to acknowledge that Year 1 data will be imperfect and explain how they'll improve it over time.
"Can you show me a sample deliverable?"
See what their reports actually look like. Are they useful? Or 80 pages of jargon?
"What's your team structure?"
Who actually does the work? Senior consultants? Junior analysts? Will you get the person you're interviewing or someone else?
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The Smartest Way to Find Scope 3 Consultants
Traditional approach: Google → LinkedIn → Hope.
Smarter approach: Post your specific Scope 3 challenge and let consultants who've done that exact work come to you.
"We need a Scope 3 inventory for a €200M food manufacturing company with 300+ suppliers across Asia and Europe. Primary challenge: suppliers have zero emissions tracking capability."
Then you get proposals from people who've actually done that before. With track records. With pricing. With timelines.
You compare them side-by-side.
No more guessing. No more hoping the person you found on LinkedIn is actually good.
(This is what iWinForest does, but honestly—even if you're not using a platform, the principle is right: specificity attracts specialists.)
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FAQ: Scope 3 Consulting Edition
Do I need a consultant or can software handle this?
Software is great for calculations and storage. But it can't get your suppliers to respond to emails or tell you which categories actually matter for your business. You need both: consultant + software.
How long does a Scope 3 project take?
First-time baseline: 3-6 months typically Ongoing annual updates: 1-2 months once process is established
Should we hire someone for all 15 categories?
No. Most companies have 3-5 material categories. Focus there first.
What if our data is terrible?
That's normal. Spend-based calculations are a great starting point when detailed data isn't available, with companies working step-by-step toward more accurate activity-based data. Good consultants work with what you have.
Do we need this if we're not reporting publicly yet?
Probably yes. Regulations are coming (California's SB 253 and EU's CSRD are phasing in Scope 3 requirements, impacting thousands of companies). Better to start now than scramble later.
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The Bottom Line
Finding a good Scope 3 consultant is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your sustainability journey.
Because if you get it wrong, you waste time and money measuring the wrong things. Or measuring the right things wrong.
And then you have to start over.
Look for specialists with industry experience, supplier engagement skills, and pragmatic methodologies.
Avoid anyone who promises perfection, can't show similar past work, or thinks Scope 3 is just a math problem.
It's not. It's a supplier relationship problem that requires math.
And the consultants who get that? They're worth every penny.
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Need help with Scope 3 emissions? Post your specific challenge on iWinForest and get proposals from consultants who've solved similar problems. See their past work, compare approaches, start in days—not months.