An Analysis of Cree's 2016 Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Abstract

Cree is a lighting and semi-conductor company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. In an effort to increase their understanding of their company’s environmental footprint, Cree requested a calculation and analysis of their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. This study used data provided by Cree to calculate the company’s Cree’s Scope 3 emissions in four areas: commercial and consumer lighting products use; the end-of-life for commercial and consumer lighting products; waste generated from direct manufacturing processes; and the transportation and distribution of products. Our analysis determined that the product use phase generated the greatest amount of Scope 3 emissions in 2016. Excluding the use phase, the transportation and distribution phase created the percentage of emissions. Based on these calculations, the team provided a set of recommendations advising Cree on how they can reduce their Scope 3 emissions. The methodology and dataset created by the team can be used by Cree for future studies.