Organizational Carbon Footprint Assessment of the Wire and Cable Industry in China: A Case Study of Companies

ABSTRACT As a key component of the power industry, the rapid growth of the wire and cable industry has exposed it to the challenge of carbon emissions. However, there is still a lack of research on organizations’ carbon footprint in the wire and cable industry. To fill these research gaps, this study has quantified the carbon footprint of five wire and cable companies (A, B, C, D, and E) above a designated size in China under the greenhouse gas protocol framework and life cycle assessment method, and proposed emission reduction directions. The results revealed that the cumulative indirect carbon footprint generated by electricity consumption (Scope 2) for the five companies accounted for over 89% when the accounting boundary was within the company's control (gate‐to‐gate) between 2020 and 2022. Meanwhile, the direct carbon footprint caused by natural gas consumption was much greater than that of gasoline and diesel for companies with annual revenue exceeding one billion, contributing 9.53%, 1.79%, and 6.63% of the carbon footprint for companies C, D, and E, respectively. Nevertheless, when the accounting boundary not only includes the company's control (cradle‐to‐gate), the carbon footprint of the raw material extraction and refining stages may be a major contributor to the carbon footprint of wire and cable companies. For example, Company A's carbon footprint in this stage in 2023 was 22295.51 tCO 2 e, accounting for 94% of the total carbon footprint (23828.70 tCO 2 e) within and outside the company's control. Based on the above research results, wire and cable companies should focus on reducing emissions from electricity, natural gas, and raw materials.