Water Damage Restoration: Scope 3 Emissions Mapping and Calculation Guide

This guide is the working document for calculating Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from water damage mitigation jobs under the Restoration Carbon Protocol. It contains the actual emission factors, the calculation methodology for each Scope 3 category, and a complete worked example from a real job type. A contractor who follows this guide will produce a per-job carbon figure that is defensible in a third-party ESG audit.

Job Classification: Why It Matters Before You Calculate

Your emissions total will vary by a factor of 10 or more depending on water category and drying class. Before calculating, classify the job correctly using IICRC S500 definitions:

Category	Source	Emissions Driver	Typical Total Range
Cat 1 / Class 1–2	Clean supply water, limited area	Transportation dominant	0.1–0.5 tCO2e
Cat 2 / Any class	Gray water (washing machine, dishwasher, toilet overflow without feces)	Materials + transportation	0.3–1.5 tCO2e
Cat 3 / Any class	Black water (sewage, floodwater, standing water)	Hazmat disposal + transportation	1.0–8.0 tCO2e
Cat 3 / Class 3–4	Black water, large affected area requiring demolition	All four categories significant	3.0–12.0 tCO2e

Category 4: Transportation Emissions

Transportation is typically the largest or second-largest emission source on water damage jobs. Calculate every vehicle separately.

Emission Factors (EPA Mobile Combustion, 2024)

Vehicle Type	Fuel	kg CO2e per mile	Source
Passenger car / cargo van	Gasoline	0.355	EPA Table 2
Light-duty truck (crew cab, work van)	Gasoline	0.503	EPA Table 2
Light-duty truck	Diesel	0.523	EPA Table 2
Medium-duty truck (equipment trailer)	Diesel	1.084	EPA Table 2
Heavy-duty truck (dump truck, tanker)	Diesel	1.612	EPA Table 2
Heavy-duty truck (loaded, waste hauling)	Diesel	2.25	EPA Table 2 + load factor

Calculation formula: Vehicle miles × emission factor = kg CO2e. Convert to tCO2e by dividing by 1,000.

What counts as “vehicle miles”: Round-trip distance from your facility or previous job to the loss site, multiplied by the number of trips. Include equipment pickup trips, progress check visits, and equipment retrieval trips. Do not include the vehicle miles of subcontractors — their emissions are captured in their own RCP calculation.

Category 1: Materials Emissions

Emission Factors for Common Water Damage Materials

Material	Unit	kg CO2e per unit	Source
Quaternary ammonium antimicrobial (liquid)	Liter	2.8	EPA EEIO — Chemical manufacturing
Hydrogen peroxide-based antimicrobial	Liter	1.9	EPA EEIO — Chemical manufacturing
Desiccant drying agent (silica gel)	kg	1.4	EPA EEIO — Chemical manufacturing
Disposable Tyvek suit (Category B)	Each	1.2	EPA EEIO — Apparel manufacturing
Nitrile gloves (pair)	Pair	0.3	EPA EEIO — Rubber/plastics
N95 respirator	Each	0.4	EPA EEIO — Medical equipment
P100 half-face respirator cartridge (pair)	Pair	0.8	EPA EEIO — Medical equipment
6-mil polyethylene sheeting	m²	0.55	EPA EEIO — Plastics product manufacturing
HEPA filter (air scrubber, standard)	Each	3.2	EPA EEIO — Industrial machinery

Note on antimicrobial volumes: If you don’t track liters applied per job, use these application rate proxies: Cat 2 jobs — 0.015 liters per sq ft of affected area. Cat 3 jobs — 0.025 liters per sq ft (double application typically required).

Category 5: Waste Emissions

Emission Factors by Waste Type and Disposal Method

Waste Type	Disposal Method	tCO2e per ton	Source
Mixed C&D debris (non-hazardous)	Landfill	0.16	EPA WARM v16
Contaminated porous materials (Cat 2)	Landfill (standard)	0.18	EPA WARM v16 + contamination premium
Contaminated porous materials (Cat 3)	Landfill (regulated)	0.22	EPA WARM v16 + hazmat transport
Disposable PPE and consumables	Landfill	0.25	EPA WARM v16 — mixed plastics
Contaminated water (Cat 3)	Municipal wastewater treatment	0.000272 per liter	EPA WARM v16 — wastewater treatment
Contaminated water (Cat 3)	Permitted treatment facility (tanker)	0.000272 per liter + transport	EPA WARM + tanker transport

Estimating waste weight when you don’t have disposal receipts: Use 2.5 lbs per sq ft of demolished drywall (standard 1/2″ drywall), 3.0 lbs per sq ft of demolished flooring (carpet + pad), 0.8 lbs per sq ft of demolished wood subfloor. For Cat 3 contaminated water: estimate from extractor tank fill cycles × tank capacity.

Category 12: Demolished Building Materials

Material	tCO2e per ton (landfill)	tCO2e per ton (recycled)	Source
Gypsum drywall	0.16	0.02	EPA WARM v16
Carpet + pad	0.33	0.05	EPA WARM v16
Hardwood flooring	-0.12 (carbon storage credit)	-0.18	EPA WARM v16
Vinyl/LVP flooring	0.28	0.08	EPA WARM v16 — plastics
Ceramic tile	0.04	0.01	EPA WARM v16 — inert material
Fiberglass batt insulation	0.33	0.05	EPA WARM v16
Cellulose insulation	0.06	-0.02	EPA WARM v16
Dimensional lumber (framing)	-0.07 (carbon storage credit)	-0.15	EPA WARM v16

Important: Negative values for wood-based materials reflect carbon storage credits under EPA WARM methodology — lumber and hardwood store carbon that is not immediately released when landfilled. Apply these credits only if the material is being landfilled rather than incinerated.

Complete Worked Example: Category 2, Class 3 Commercial Water Loss

Job profile: Washing machine supply line failure, 2,400 sq ft commercial office, second floor. Affected area includes cubicle space and server room (contents moved). Required demolition: 800 sq ft drywall, 600 sq ft carpet. Crew: 2 technicians, 3-day mitigation. Your facility is 24 miles from the job site.

Category 4 — Transportation

2 light trucks × 48 miles round trip × 4 trips (initial, day 2, day 3, equipment pickup) = 384 vehicle-miles
384 × 0.503 kg CO2e/mile = 193 kg CO2e

1 equipment trailer (dehumidifiers, air movers) × 48 miles × 2 trips (drop-off + pickup) = 96 vehicle-miles
96 × 1.084 kg CO2e/mile = 104 kg CO2e

1 dump truck for debris × 14 miles to transfer station × 1 trip = 14 vehicle-miles
14 × 2.25 kg CO2e/mile = 32 kg CO2e

Equipment power source: building electrical supply (Scope 2 — property owner, not included here)

Category 4 total: 329 kg CO2e = 0.33 tCO2e

Category 1 — Materials

Quaternary ammonium antimicrobial: 2,400 sq ft × 0.015 L/sq ft = 36 liters × 2.8 kg CO2e/L = 101 kg CO2e

PPE: 2 technicians × 3 days × 2 Tyvek suits/day = 12 suits × 1.2 kg = 14 kg; 2 × 3 × 4 glove pairs = 24 pairs × 0.3 kg = 7 kg; 2 × 3 × 2 N95 = 12 respirators × 0.4 kg = 5 kg. PPE total: 26 kg CO2e

HEPA filter replacement (2 air scrubbers, 1 filter change each): 2 × 3.2 kg = 6 kg CO2e

Category 1 total: 133 kg CO2e = 0.13 tCO2e

Category 5 — Waste

C&D debris (wet materials, Cat 2 contaminated): estimated 1.2 tons (800 sq ft drywall at 2.5 lbs/sq ft = 1,000 lbs; carpet remnants ~400 lbs)
1.2 tons × 0.18 tCO2e/ton = 0.22 tCO2e

Disposable PPE and consumables: ~0.05 tons × 0.25 tCO2e/ton = 0.01 tCO2e

Category 5 total: 0.23 tCO2e

Category 12 — Demolished Building Materials

800 sq ft drywall demolished: 800 × 2.5 lbs = 2,000 lbs = 0.91 tons × 0.16 tCO2e/ton = 0.15 tCO2e

600 sq ft carpet + pad: 600 × 3.0 lbs = 1,800 lbs = 0.82 tons × 0.33 tCO2e/ton = 0.27 tCO2e

Category 12 total: 0.42 tCO2e

Job Total

Category	tCO2e
Category 4 — Transportation	0.33
Category 1 — Materials	0.13
Category 5 — Waste disposal	0.23
Category 12 — Demolished materials	0.42
Total	1.11 tCO2e

This figure — 1.11 tCO2e — is what goes in the Category 4, 1, 5, and 12 rows of the RCP Job Carbon Report delivered to the property manager. The spend-based estimate for a $28,000 job like this (using EPA Services to Buildings factor of approximately 0.10 kg CO2e per dollar) would produce 2.8 tCO2e — more than 2.5x the actual calculated figure. This is why primary data matters.