Awareness of climate change has transformed how businesses understand their impact and how they take climate action. Over the past decade, measuring greenhouse gas emissions which are the key driver of climate change has become standard practice, helping organizations manage climate risks and meet investor expectations. Many companies are also working towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and balance out any emissions that remain.

However, greenhouse gas emissions are also air pollutants. Air pollutants incorporate a range of pollutants, including greenhouse gas, and all air pollutants can be measured using similar inventory approaches. Guidance from SEI and partners including the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Clean Air Fund, is helping standardize corporate measurement of non-greenhouse gas emissions. Moving from measurement to action, though, raises harder questions for business.

There is a growing body of information on why the private sector should be concerned about clean air across its value chain and business, including how to monitor and report emissions both online and offline. As business leaders prepare for Climate Week NYC, the conversation will include assessing overall environmental performance and examining how businesses generate, emit and mitigate emissions.

While putting together this feature, we explored search engines and AI platforms to see what questions people are commonly asking about air pollution and the private sector. The six questions below are some of the most frequently asked on these platforms. They provide helpful starting points for any organization new to addressing air pollutant emissions, especially those planning to participate in NYC discussions on these topics.

Net zero means balancing greenhouse gas emissions so that the amount produced is equal to the amount removed, resulting in no overall increase in greenhouse gas levels and reducing the impact on climate change.  Greenhouse gases and air pollutants behave very differently in the atmosphere and have different impacts. Carbon dioxide and methane stay in the atmosphere for years to centuries, contributing to global long-term climate change, whereas other pollutants are not as potent. In contrast, pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5) tend to have stronger regional or local effects that can cause immediate health problems through short-term exposure.

So, net zero does not necessarily mean zero air pollution. Many routes to net zero do cut air pollution sharply, but the co-benefits are not automatic – some pathways, such as greater reliance on biomass, can increase local particulate matter.

Many organizations are unsure about measuring air pollutants because they think it needs complicated systems or special skills. In fact, to produce an air pollutant emissions inventory, the process is similar to how greenhouse gas emissions are estimated:

Emissions = activity data × emission factor

Good estimates rely on the availability of robust activity data, emission factors, government data, atmospheric models and local monitoring. Examples of data include fuel invoices, fleet records, utility bills, procurement data, and other inventories you already collect.  Together, these provide companies with a solid inventory and a reliable basis for decision-making.

Greenhouse gas emissions are sometimes also referred to as carbon emissions in the literature. The good news is that most businesses already collect the data they need to get started, as most air pollutants come from the same sources as greenhouse gases. Organizations routinely track fuel consumption, electricity use, transport and manufacturing processes for greenhouse gas accounting. That same data can be used to estimate air pollutant emissions by applying pollutant-specific emission factors, which are standard conversion rates that translate activity data (such as litres of fuel burned) into pollutant amounts.

A practical approach is to start with direct operational emissions before expanding to energy, transport, and supply chains. Building on existing carbon inventories avoids creating a new system from scratch. The SEI and CCAC Integrated Guide for Business Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollutant Emission Assessment provides a framework for this integrated approach. It maps air pollutant emission factors directly across standard Scope 1, 2 and 3 categories, including fuel consumption, electricity, transport, industrial processes, agriculture and waste.

The guide was created to help companies measure air pollutants using a single, unified inventory method. Instead of building an entirely new reporting framework, the guide shows the methodological approach that companies can use alongside activity data they already gather. This approach is becoming increasingly vital for both mandatory and voluntary reporting frameworks, such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and encourages companies to disclose a broader range of environmental impacts beyond GHG emissions.

To make informed and effective decisions about reducing air pollution, businesses first need to map their value chain. This helps identify the main sources of air pollutants and where they occur across their operations. The next steps are to gather the relevant data, understand the constraints, and identify the appropriate methodologies that will help to build an emissions inventory. Once the inventory is developed, businesses can plan for future business scenarios and build different mitigation scenarios. Without an inventory, it is difficult for businesses to make informed decisions about where and how to reduce emissions.

For instance, if a company’s primary activity is shipping, mapping its value chain can highlight air pollutants generated within its operations. This allows the company to create a phased mitigation plan, like progressively replacing certain heavy-duty vehicles with newer, cleaner technologies.

Yes. The economic case for clean air is well documented.

Air pollution has well-documented impacts on public health, contributing to illness, lost productivity and increased healthcare costs. These impacts also affect businesses through operational disruption and economic performance. Reducing air pollution can therefore bring wider co-benefits for businesses.

The World Bank’s 2025 report, Accelerating Access to Clean Air for a Livable Planet, estimates the economic costs of outdoor air pollution at nearly 5% of global GDP, through impacts on health, productivity and life expectancies. It also finds that 95% of deaths from outdoor air pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries – where much manufacturing and sourcing take place.

Long-term forecasts reinforce this risk. OECD projections indicate that air pollution could cause trillions of dollars in economic losses by 2060 through reduced labour output and lower crop yields. The Clean Air Fund estimates that 1.2 billion working days are lost worldwide each year due to air pollution. This figure is projected to rise without intervention. For businesses operating worldwide and managing complex supply chains, air pollution is more than just an environmental concern. It’s a significant risk that can affect productivity, disrupt operations and impact the bottom line.

Forward-looking organizations rarely wait for mandates to manage material risks. Understanding what air pollutant emissions quantification should involve before reporting becomes necessary will enable companies to set up credible baselines, identify opportunities to optimise their operations, and develop the capabilities required to meet changing regulatory expectations.

While reporting on air pollutants is not yet universal, regulatory frameworks like the EU’s CSRD require companies operating within the EU to report on air pollutants. There are also other voluntary schemes, such as the GRI and the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework for logistics, that support the expansion of air pollutant disclosures.

The 2026 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report shows that while pollution has dipped in executives’ near-term concerns, environmental threats remain among the most severe over a ten-year horizon. This gap between boardroom focus and long-term reality leaves companies vulnerable when regulations, investor expectations or insurance requirements inevitably change.

Beyond compliance, stakeholders, from investors to local communities, increasingly expect businesses to be transparent about their environmental impacts and how they are managing them across their operations and value chains.

Understanding measurement capabilities now while it remains voluntary allows companies to establish credible baselines and optimize operations at their own pace, avoiding the cost and friction of scrambling to retrofit systems when regulations take effect.

So, where do businesses begin?  

Start with the operational data you already have. Applying recognized emission factors to your existing fuel, electricity and transport data gives a credible starting point, and you can expand and improve your data, methods and understanding over time. Integrated emissions accounting can help your business stay ahead of changing regulations, meet investor expectations and contribute to the wider shift towards environmental sustainability. 

The key is not to wait for everything to be perfect.