Direct emissions
20,670,103
tCO2e
Back to search resultsEmissions
Sustainability
Scope
REPORTED REPORTED REPORTED REPORTED REPORTED REPORTED ESTIMATED REPORTED ESTIMATED REPORTED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED ESTIMATED 
Read the full scoring methodologyOur white paper covers exactly how the Mycelium Score and Transparency Score are calculated, including the normalisation process and what earns a 10/10.Download the white paper (PDF)
Mycelium Score3.9 / 10Below-average scoreATransparencyVery HighExtensive disclosure across almost all key areas
Explore carbon emissions data for Southwest Airlines. Mycelium helps you review reported emissions, disclosure status, Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 data, climate targets and sustainability information in one company profile.
This profile brings together available carbon emissions data for Southwest Airlines, including reported figures, modelled estimates, disclosure documents and sustainability indicators, so you can review its emissions and compare its performance against similar companies. It is one entry in the Mycelium emissions database. Read how we source and check this data.
Emissions
Carbon emissions
Total yearly emissions across all scopes
29,197,379tCO2e(Market Based)(Mycelium adjusted)
- Reported by Southwest Airlines
- 27,081,005 tCO₂e
- Estimated by Mycelium
- 2,116,374 tCO₂e
Southwest Airlines reported 93% of the adjusted total. Mycelium estimated the remaining 7% for the categories it did not disclose.
Scope 1
tCO2e
20,670,103
Scope 2 (Market Based)
tCO2e
21,256
Scope 3 total
tCO2e
8,506,020
Figures from pages 67 and 113 of the source report
Scope 3 reported
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
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See the scope breakdownProvenance
Emissions
Factors
1.045kgCO2e / $
Supplier specific emission factors (kgCO2e / $)
Modelled
Reported
UpstreamScope 1, 2 + upstream Scope 3
1.045
1.038
Total+ all Scope 3
–
1.038
Per US dollar of revenue. Mycelium models the upstream factor only.
Which figure should I use?
Estimating your own supply-chain emissions from spend with this company? Use Upstream Modelled. The GHG Protocol defines purchased-goods emissions as cradle-to-gate, which means this company's own operations plus its upstream supply chain. Any of those emissions the company has not disclosed are filled with modelled estimates, so a transparent company is not unfairly penalised against one that simply has not reported.
Looking at what the company filed itself? Use the Reported column. Total Reported also includes downstream emissions, such as the lifetime use of the products this company sells, which the GHG Protocol attributes to the users of those products rather than to customers buying goods and services.
Reported counts only emissions the company has filed itself. A blank or low Reported cell does not mean those emissions do not exist, just that the company has not disclosed them. When Upstream Reported sits close to Upstream Modelled, that is a positive signal: the company has disclosed most of its upstream emissions.
Sustainability
Snapshot
Based on reported data, retrieved with AI
- Southwest Airlines reported 27,081,005 tCO₂e in 2023.
- Scope 3 accounted for 24% of reported emissions.
- Reported across 5 of 15 GHG Protocol Scope 3 categories.
- Scope 2 reported under the market based methodology.
According to available emissions disclosures, Southwest Airlines reported total yearly emissions of 27,081,005 tCO₂e in 2023. Scope 1 emissions accounted for 76% of the reported footprint, indicating the company's own operations, such as fuel use, facilities and vehicles, were the most significant contributors to its carbon footprint.
The company achieved a Mycelium Score of 3.9, placing it below average for its sector for sustainability performance, and received a transparency score of 97.6, an exceptional result, reflecting open disclosure across nearly every key emissions metric.
Scope
breakdown
Scope 1 emissions
Direct emissions from sources the company owns or controls, such as fuel use, facilities and vehicles.
Scope 2 emissions
Indirect emissions from purchased energy, including electricity, heating and cooling.
Location based
35,822
tCO2eMarket based USED IN TOTAL
21,256
tCO2eScope 3 emissions
Wider value chain emissions across the 15 GHG Protocol categories, from purchased goods and business travel to investments, where reported.
Cat 1
Purchased goods & services
1,716,201
tCO2eCat 2
Capital goods
339,840
tCO2eCat 3
Fuel & energy related activities
4,167,834
tCO2eCat 4
Upstream transportation & distribution
116,518
tCO2eCat 5
Waste generated in operations
3,625
tCO2eCat 6
Business travel
47,570
tCO2eCat 7
Employee commuting
162,146
tCO2eCat 8
Upstream leased assets
10,311
tCO2eCat 9
Downstream transportation & distribution
544,358
tCO2eCat 10
Processing of sold products
652,742
tCO2eCat 11
Use of sold products
235,262
tCO2eCat 12
End-of-life treatment of sold products
82
tCO2eCat 13
Downstream leased assets
132,270
tCO2eCat 14
Franchises
212,913
tCO2eCat 15
Investments
164,347
tCO2e10 values were derived via Mycelium's normalisation process rather than reported by the company. A cell marked “ESTIMATED” is a figure the company did not disclose, modelled by Mycelium.
Verification
Independent third parties involved in checking or preparing Southwest Airlines's emissions data.
Independent assurance
Independently assured(reasonable assurance)by Undergone, No name providedfor 2023
Contact Info
Website
www.southwest.comCountry
United States of America
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How scoring works
How the Mycelium Score is calculated
The Mycelium Score is out of 10. Up to 6.5 points reflect carbon intensity vs peers in the same NACE section (emissions normalised against revenue, log-scaled between the 5th and 95th percentile of each company's latest reporting year in that section; a section needs at least 5 companies to be benchmarked). The band above 6.5 is earned through verified data quality on a claimed profile: declaring every reporting category yourself (up to 2.0), preparation by a carbon accountant (2.0) and independently audited figures (2.0). The total is multiplied by the transparency score and capped at 10. A disclosure with an implausibly large figure (Scope 1 or 2 over 300 million tonnes, a Scope 3 figure over 2 billion tonnes or a total over 2.5 billion tonnes) is not scored until it has been checked.
A higher score means lower carbon intensity than sector peers, backed by data that's third-party verified, claimed by the company, and fully disclosed. Southwest Airlines's score sits at the top of this page and in the score panel. Without a revenue figure to measure carbon intensity, or an industry classification to compare it within, a company has no score.
How the Transparency Score is calculated
The Transparency Score is the share of a company's estimated footprint that it reported itself, graded from A (very high) down to F (very low). Where a category is missing, Mycelium models what it would hold for a company of that size and industry and counts it as undisclosed, so an unreported category where the bulk of emissions sit hurts far more than a minor one. Unreported downstream categories (9 to 15) count at a quarter of their modelled size in this share; the carbon intensity behind the score still counts them in full. A Scope 3 total filed without a category breakdown earns very little credit for the part left unattributed, because it does not show which categories are inside it: a company can count business travel, leave purchased goods out entirely, and the total looks the same. Without a revenue figure the footprint cannot be modelled, so the company has no Transparency Score.
Southwest Airlines has disclosed the categories that carry most of its estimated footprint, so there's no single bucket dragging the transparency score down. The breakdown above shows which figures are reported and which are modelled.
Read the full scoring methodologyOur white paper covers exactly how the Mycelium Score and Transparency Score are calculated, including the normalisation process and what earns a 10/10.Download the white paper (PDF)Compare Southwest Airlines with similar companies
Southwest Airlines carbon emissions FAQs
What are Southwest Airlines's carbon emissions?
In its 2023 reporting year, Southwest Airlines disclosed total emissions of 27,081,005 tCO2e across all scopes. Including Mycelium estimates for undisclosed categories, the adjusted total is 29,197,379 tCO2e. Scope 1 accounted for the largest share of the reported total, around 76%.
Does Southwest Airlines report Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions?
For 2023, Southwest Airlines's available disclosure covers Scope 1 (20,670,103 tCO2e), Scope 2 (21,256 tCO2e) and Scope 3 across 5 of the 15 GHG Protocol categories. Figures not reported by the company are shown as modelled estimates and labelled as such.
How transparent is Southwest Airlines's emissions reporting?
Southwest Airlines has a Mycelium transparency score of 97.6 out of 100. The score is the share of the company's estimated footprint that it reported itself, so an undisclosed category where most of its emissions sit weighs far more than a minor one.
Is Southwest Airlines sustainable?
Mycelium measures sustainability through carbon emissions data rather than giving a yes or no verdict. Southwest Airlines has a Mycelium Score of 3.9 out of 10, which reflects its emissions intensity against sector peers together with how transparent and well-verified its reporting is. The emissions figures and disclosure documents on this page give the fuller picture.
Is Southwest Airlines environmentally friendly?
Carbon emissions are one measurable part of environmental impact, and the part Mycelium tracks. Southwest Airlines disclosed 27,081,005 tCO2e for 2023, and its Mycelium Score of 3.9 out of 10 shows how that performance compares with similar companies in its sector.
Learn more about our methodology and where this data comes from.