Upwork

Upwork's Carbon Emissions and Climate Commitments

Upwork, a US-based company in the "Other business services" industry, reported approximately 9.75 million kg CO2e in Scope 2 and 3 emissions in 2024.

Emissions Breakdown:

• 2024:
  • Scope 2 market-based emissions were 11,000 kg CO2e, while location-based Scope 2 emissions were 301,000 kg CO2e.
  • Scope 3 emissions totalled approximately 9.44 million kg CO2e, primarily driven by purchased goods and services (8.8 million kg CO2e), followed by business travel (508,000 kg CO2e), employee commute (58,000 kg CO2e), and fuel and energy-related activities (15,000 kg CO2e).
• 2023:
  • Scope 3 emissions amounted to approximately 13.39 million kg CO2e, with purchased goods and services accounting for 12.797 million kg CO2e. Business travel was 385,000 kg CO2e, employee commute was 94,000 kg CO2e, and fuel and energy-related activities were 18,000 kg CO2e.
• 2022:
  • Scope 3 emissions were approximately 7.3 million kg CO2e, including 6.651 million kg CO2e from purchased goods and services, 216,000 kg CO2e from business travel, 61,000 kg CO2e from employee commute, and 18,000 kg CO2e from fuel and energy-related activities.
• 2021:
  • Scope 3 emissions totalled 273,600 kg CO2e, with 40,000 kg CO2e from business travel and 4,500 kg CO2e from employee commute. Data for purchased goods and services was not disclosed for this year.
• 2020:
  • Total emissions were 437,000 kg CO2e. Scope 1 emissions were 22,000 kg CO2e, Scope 2 market-based emissions were 177,800 kg CO2e, and Scope 3 emissions were 259,000 kg CO2e. Key Scope 3 categories included business travel (66,500 kg CO2e), employee commute (70,500 kg CO2e), and purchased goods and services (122,100 kg CO2e).
• 2019:
  • Scope 2 market-based emissions were 33,000 kg CO2e. Scope 3 data indicated 553,000 kg CO2e from business travel, 216,000 kg CO2e from employee commute, 12.797 million kg CO2e from purchased goods and services, and 18,000 kg CO2e from fuel and energy-related activities.

Climate Commitments:

Upwork has committed to an intensity-based near-term target to reduce its Scope 2 market-based emissions from electricity and natural gas used in leased offices. Using 2019 as a baseline, the company aimed to cut emissions intensity by 50% by 2030, from 0.066 to 0.033 metric tons of CO2e per employee. By procuring renewable electricity and renewable energy credits (RECS), Upwork exceeded this target in 2025, achieving 0.028 metric tons CO2e per employee.