Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) covers the emissions that occur while your customers use what you've sold them, over the product's entire lifetime. For capital goods, automotive, industrial equipment and appliance manufacturers, it can reach up to 90% of total emissions — often dwarfing everything that happens inside your own factory.
Key takeaways
- Category 11 covers emissions from customer use of sold products over their full expected lifetime.
- Split into direct use-phase (product burns fuel itself) and indirect use-phase (product consumes purchased energy).
- Can reach up to 90% of total footprint for capital goods and energy-consuming products.
- Estimating it requires assumptions about product lifespan and usage patterns — document these clearly.
- Products with long lifespans (industrial machinery, vehicles) accumulate far more use-phase emissions than short-lived consumables.
What is Scope 3 Category 11?
This is one of seven downstream categories in the GHG Protocol's Scope 3 framework — emissions that happen after a product leaves your control. Unlike Category 1 (which looks backward at what you bought), Category 11 looks forward at what happens to what you sold. For a manufacturer of durable, energy-consuming products, this is frequently the single largest line item in the entire carbon footprint.
See how this fits into the full picture in our guide to how to calculate Scope 3 emissions across all 15 categories, and compare against Category 1 (purchased goods), which dominates for most other manufacturers.
Direct vs. indirect use-phase emissions
| Type | Source | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Direct use-phase | Product itself burns fuel or emits GHGs | Vehicles, gas boilers, generators, refrigerants that leak over product life |
| Indirect use-phase | Product consumes purchased energy during use | Appliances, electric motors, industrial machinery, electronics |
How to calculate Category 11 emissions
- Determine expected product lifespan. Use manufacturer specifications, warranty periods, or industry-standard assumptions.
- Estimate energy or fuel consumption per unit, per year of use. Based on product specifications or typical usage patterns.
- Multiply by units sold in the reporting year and by the full expected lifetime, not just one year of use.
- Apply the correct emission factor — grid electricity factor for indirect use, fuel combustion factor for direct use.
- Document every assumption. Lifespan and usage-pattern assumptions are exactly what auditors and EU buyers will probe first.
How to reduce Category 11 emissions
Because Category 11 emissions happen at the customer's site, you can't control them directly — but product design decisions made at your factory determine most of the outcome. Efficiency improvements, lower-power operating modes, and end-of-life take-back programs (which connect to circular economy strategies) all reduce this category's footprint over time.
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Explore Carbon & Net Zero Services →Frequently asked questions
What is Scope 3 Category 11?
Category 11 covers the emissions that occur while customers use the products a company has sold, over the product's full expected lifetime. It's typically the largest category for products that consume energy or fuel during use.
What's the difference between direct and indirect use-phase emissions?
Direct use-phase emissions come from a product that burns fuel itself, like a vehicle. Indirect use-phase emissions come from a product that consumes purchased energy, like an appliance running on electricity.
Which industries have the largest Category 11 emissions?
Capital goods, automotive, industrial equipment, electronics and appliance manufacturers — sometimes up to 90% of total emissions — because their products consume significant energy or fuel over a multi-year lifespan.
How do you estimate Category 11 emissions?
Multiply units sold by expected energy/fuel consumption per unit over its full lifetime, then by the appropriate emission factor. Document lifespan and usage assumptions clearly.
Sources & further reading
- GHG Protocol — Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard: ghgprotocol.org/standards/scope-3-standard
- GHG Protocol — Technical Guidance for Calculating Scope 3 Emissions: ghgprotocol.org/scope-3-technical-calculation-guidance
This article is general guidance, not formal accounting advice — verify methodology against the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard for your inventory.