Understanding the GHG footprint of final goods and services provisioned by the West of England

Analysing the GHG emissions associated with the goods and services provided by organisations in the West of England is essential for identifying where emissions can be reduced most effectively. This policy insight uses a provision-based approach to achieve that; it looks at the emissions of direct activities in the region, as well as emissions embedded in supply chains ('upstream') and those associated with the waste sectors.

In the West of England, many of the sectors with the highest provision-based GHG footprints are also major employers. Understanding where these emissions arise can help the region identify practical opportunities to reduce emissions while supporting jobs and strengthening the region's economic resilience.

Looking beyond local emissions to drive decarbonisation

The total GHG footprint associated with goods and services provided by organisations in the West of England is estimated at 20,147 ktCO2e (kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). This is more than three times larger than the region's direct emissions inventory, meaning that many of the goods and services provided by the region generate emissions beyond the region's geographical boundaries, including elsewhere in the UK and internationally.

This highlights the importance of improving understanding of supply chain emissions and identifying opportunities to reduce the West of England's dependence on carbon-intensive goods and services, regardless of where in the production process emissions are released. 

Sectoral GHG footprint

A sector-by-sector analysis of GHG emissions in the West of England highlights the sectors that contribute most to the region's footprint through the provision of final goods and services (Table 1). Estimates are provided here alongside sectoral shares of regional employment and are compared with national emissions data.

Table 1: The 15 sectors with the largest GHG footprints associated with the provision of final products and services by the West of England

Source: These estimates were developed based on the method and approach outlined in Bradley et al. (2026). SIC codes are Standard Industrial Classification codes.

The largest contributors to the region's provision-based GHG footprint are wholesale trade services (33%), public administration, defence services and compulsory social security (6%), construction (6%), human health services (5%), and electricity transmission and distribution (5%).

Targeted interventions in these sectors could significantly reduce the region's overall carbon footprint. For example, sustainable procurement practices would likely reduce emissions in a number of sectors. This includes working with suppliers to switch to lower-emission inputs, reducing or avoiding stock that continues to use GHG-intensive inputs ('choice editing'), and sourcing more locally and sustainably when transportation emissions are high. Product design and business model innovation by West of England companies can also be important in driving changes in these upstream GHG emissions. 

With 'public administration, defence services and compulsory social security' ranking highly, public sector organisations, including local authorities and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), are well placed to lead by example through their procurement practices (Climate Change Committee, 2020).

Employment and a just transition

The 15 sectors with the highest emissions account for around 50% of employment in the region. The fours largest sectors alone account for 24% of total employment.

This highlights the importance of ensuring that decarbonisation efforts support a just transition. Emissions reduction measures must be purposefully designed to avoid adverse and unintended impacts on jobs and livelihoods while helping businesses adapt to changing markets and consumer demand.

Many options for reducing emissions, such as improving procurement practices to consume lower-carbon products and services, can help reduce emissions while maintaining employment. For example, sourcing more locally could generate jobs in the region. But some sectors may need support to adapt their business models and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the low carbon economy.

Conclusion

The sectoral analysis of the West of England's provision-based GHG footprint shows that a relatively small number of sectors account for most of the emissions associated with goods and services provided by the region. While some of these emissions occur within the West of England, the majority arise elsewhere in the UK and internationally through supply chains. Understanding and addressing these embodied emissions will be an important part of transitioning to a sustainable economy that does not 'outsource' its GHG emissions to other parts of the world for what is a global pollutant.

Many of the sectors with the largest embodied emissions are also major employers, meaning that efforts to reduce emissions must be carefully managed. Supporting these sectors to transition to lower-carbon ways of operating will be essential to help reduce emissions while maintaining jobs and economic activity. Through targeted interventions, such as sustainable procurement, lower-carbon supply chains and resource-efficient business models, the region can reduce its provision-based emissions while strengthening economic resilience and supporting a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

References

Committee on Climate Change (CCC). (2020).  Local Authorities and the Sixth Carbon Budget.  Available online at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/local-authorities-and-the-sixth-carbon-budget/ Accessed: 18.12.25

Bradley, P., Everard, M., Gezici, A., Devito, L., Parkhurst, G., Sen, A., Gin, D., Ghosh, P., Sierra, F., Perry, F., Smith I, and Mitchell, Z. (2026). Sustainable Economy in the West of England? A report by the Sustainable Economies Research Group (SERG). Available online at: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/-/media/uwe/documents/research/sustainable-economy-in-the-west-of-england-report.pdf Accessed: 10.07.26