Considering the role of tourism in promoting sustainable practices in destinations, this study aims to map the scientific literature on footprint calculators in the last three years (2020–2023) with a focus on the tourism context. The method adopted is a scoping review with a qualitative and exploratory approach, using the Scopus database. The originality of this research lies in the study of publications related to footprint calculators with a focus on the tourism sector. Based on the analysis carried out, the main results show that the study of footprint calculators applied to the tourism sector has had little prominence in the indexed research in the Scopus database during the specific period considered for this study. Consequently, the conclusion of the study highlights the marginality of the tourism sector in the discussion of footprint calculators in the last 3 years of scientific publications.

1. Almeida, G. G. F., Arend, S. C., & Engel, V. (2018). Environmental sustainability as a strategy for green brands (Portuguese). Revista Brasileira de Gestão e Desenvolvimento Regional, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.54399/rbgdr.v14i3
2. Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
3. Auger, C., Hilloulin, B., Boisserie, B., et al. (2021). Open-Source Carbon Footprint Estimator: Development and University Declination. Sustainability, 13(8), 4315. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084315
4. Aytac, S. (2023). What are Carbon Footprint and Carbon Footprint Calculators? Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 104. https://doi.org/10.29173/istl2756
5. Beder, S. (1994). The hidden messages within sustainable development. Social Alternatives, 13(2), 8-12.
6. Bekaroo, G., Roopowa, D., Zakari, A., et al. (2021). Calculating carbon emissions from personal travelling: insights from a top-down analysis of key calculators. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(7), 8853–8872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11179-z
7. Bilgin, M. H., Danis, H., & Demir E. (editors). (2022). Eurasian Business and Economics Perspectives. In: Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics, Proceedings of the 30th Eurasia Business and Economics Society Conference; 11 November 2022. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15531-4
8. Bokhoree, C., Bekaroo, G., Santokhee, A., et al. (2021). An analysis of farm-based carbon footprint calculators: Insights for farmers. In: Proceedings of the IST-Africa Conference; 10–14 May 2021. pp. 1–10.
9. Bourgeois, G., Bigot, K., Courboulay, V., & Duthil, B. (2023). Tools for Calculating the ICT Footprint of Organisations: Adaptation of a European Study. In: Papadaki, M., Rupino da Cunha, P., Themistocleous, M., Christodoulou, K. (editors). Proceedings of the 19th European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern Conference, EMCIS 2022; Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30694-5_21
10. Bowler, A. L., Rodgers, S., Meng, F., et al. (2024). Development of an open-source carbon footprint calculator of the UK craft brewing value chain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 435, 140181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140181
11. Cappuyns, V. (2024). Carbon footprint calculations in the soil remediation sector: A comparative analysis. Science of The Total Environment, 915, 170100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170100
12. Cardoso, L., Chen, M. M., Araújo, A., et al. (2022). Accessing Neuromarketing Scientific Performance: Research Gaps and Emerging Topics. Behavioral Sciences, 12(2), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12020055
13. Chakraborty, D., & Roy, J. (2013). Energy and carbon footprint: numbers matter in low energy and low carbon choices. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5(2), 237–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.04.001
14. Chatterjee, C., Gupta, R., Gupta, K., et al. (2023). Platforms To Calculate Carbon Footprints: A Step Towards Environment Sustainability. In: Proceedings of the 2023 International Conference on Advancement in Computation & Computer Technologies (InCACCT). https://doi.org/10.1109/incacct57535.2023.10141821
15. Chen, K., Yang, M., Zhou, X., et al. (2022). Recent advances in carbon footprint studies of urban ecosystems: overview, application, and future challenges. Environmental Reviews, 30(2), 342–356. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2021-0111
16. Cunha, D.N. & Jesus, G.B.S. (2020). Sustainable tourism: A brief systematic review (Portuguese). Anais do Fórum Regional de Administração, 138-156.
17. Global Footprint Network. (2023). Earth Overshoot Day 2024 falls on August 1st. Available online: https://www.footprintnetwork.org/ (accessed on 12 April 2024).
18. Hendrickson, C., Lave, L. B., & Matthews, H. S. (2008). Calculating product and supply chain carbon footprints. Environmental Science & Technology, 42(14), 5140–5145.
19. Hirvilammi, T., Peltomaa, J., Pihlajamaa, M., et al. (2023). Towards an eco-welfare state: Enabling factors for transformative eco-social initiatives. European Journal of Social Security, 25(4), 445–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/13882627231195724
20. Hoekstra, A. Y. & Wiedmann, T. O. (2014). Humanity’s unsustainable environmental footprint. Science, 344(6188), 1114-1117. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1248365
21. Hogeboom, R. J. (2020). The water footprint concept and water's grand environmental challenges. One Earth, 2(3), 218–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.02.010
22. Jack, T., Bååth, J., Heinonen, J. T., et al. (2023). How individuals make sense of their climate impacts in the capitalocene: mixed methods insights from calculating carbon footprints. Sustainability Science, 19(3), 777–791. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01435-9
23. Jones, C. (2023). The carbon footprint of regional tourism trips: insights from environmentally extended regional input output analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2254949
24. Kairouz, S., Sowad, A. S. M., Lambo, L., et al. (2023). Mapping the Conceptualization of Gender in Gambling Literature. Critical Gambling Studies, 4(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs115
25. Kok, A. L., & Barendregt, W. (2021). Understanding the adoption, use, and effects of ecological footprint calculators among Dutch citizens. Journal of Cleaner Production, 326, 129341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129341
26. Kouamé, S., & Ghannadzadeh, A. (2023). A Comparative Parametric Study on Dynamic Biogenic Carbon of Harvested Wood Products: Biomass Rotation Period vs. Product Lifetime. Energies, 16(7), 3163. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16073163
27. Leimona, B., Mithöfer, D., Wibawa, G., et al. (2024). Sustainability certification: multiple values of nature coexist in value chain transformations toward a common but differentiated responsibility. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 66, 101393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101393
28. Machado, D. & Matos, F. (2020). Reflections on sustainable development and sustainability: polysemic categories (Portuguese). REUNIR: Revista de Administração, Ciências Contábeis e Sustentabilidade, 10(2), 2020, 14–26
29. Maniates, M., & Farrell, M. H. (2013). Beyond the carbon footprint: Addressing the climate crisis requires a broader perspective. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(1), 370–371.
30. Marconatto, D. A. B., Trevisan, M., Pedrozo, E. A., et al. (2013). Getting out of the sustainable development trenches: a new perspective for sustainability analysis and decision-making (Portuguese). RAM. Revista de Administração Mackenzie, 14(1), 15–43. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1678-69712013000100002
31. McElroy, M. (2015). The Social Footprint Method. Groningen University in The Sustainability Practitioner’s Guide to Social Analysis and Assessment. ‎Common Ground Publishing; 2015.
32. Montiel, E., Nachef, K., Marquina-Guinois, E., et al. (2022). A Life Cycle Carbon Footprint Calculator for Early Quantification of the Environmental Impact of Oil and Gas Services and Products. Available online: https://onepetro.org/SPEADIP/proceedings-abstract/22ADIP/2-22ADIP/D022S160R002/513514 (accessed on 6 April 2024).
33. Mulrow, J., Machaj, K., Deanes, J., et al. (2019). The state of carbon footprint calculators: An evaluation of calculator design and user interaction features. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 18, 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2018.12.001
34. Munar, D. A., Ramírez-Contreras, N., Rivera-Méndez, Y., et al. (2022). Carbon footprint management for a sustainable oil palm crop. In: Advances of footprint family for sustainable energy and industrial systems. Springer International Publishing, pp. 93–110.
35. Munn, Z., Pollock, D., Khalil, H., et al. (2022). What are scoping reviews? Providing a formal definition of scoping reviews as a type of evidence synthesis. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 20(4), 950–952. https://doi.org/10.11124/jbies-21-00483
36. Muthu S. S. (2021). Carbon Footprint Case Studies, Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9577-6
37. Muthu, S. S. (2021). LCA Based Carbon Footprint Assessment, Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4373-3
38. Noman, A. A., Rehman, F. U., Khan, I., et al. (2024). Trade competitiveness and sustainable energy practices: The moderating role of ecological footprint. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 21, 100331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2023.100331
39. Nova Turismo e Hospitalidade. (2024). Available online: https://www.turismo.unl.pt/ (accessed on 6 April 2024).
40. Okutan, P., & Akkoyunlu, A. (2021). Identification of water use behavior and calculation of water footprint: a case study. Applied Water Science, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-021-01459-5
41. Orfanou, A., Vakalis, S., Karelis, C., et al. (2023). Assessing the Correlation between Citizen Science and Carbon Footprint: Introduction of COMPAIR’s CO2 Calculator. Energies, 16(17), 6228. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16176228
42. Papadaki, M., Rupino da Cunha, P., Themistocleous, M., & Christodoulou, K. (2023). Information Systems. In: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 19th European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern Conference, EMCIS 2022, Virtual Event. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30694-5
43. Pfeffer, J. (2009). Renaissance and renewal in management studies: Relevance regained. European Management Review, 6(3), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1057/emr.2009.13
44. Pfeifer, S., & Borozan, D. (2022). Factors influencing personal carbon footprint of the Croatian university students. Eurasian Studies in Business and Economics, 325–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15531-4_19
45. Raihan, A. (2024). The interrelationship amid carbon emissions, tourism, economy, and energy use in Brazil. Carbon Research, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-023-00084-y
46. Ren, J (2022). Advances of Footprint Family for Sustainable Energy and Industrial Systems. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76441-8
47. Roussilhe, G., Ligozat, A. L., & Quinton, S. (2023). A long road ahead: a review of the state of knowledge of the environmental effects of digitization. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 62, 101296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101296
48. Scalbi, S., Buttol, P., Loprieno, A. D., et al. (2021). Toward a Low-Carbon Economy: The Clim’Foot Project Approach for the Organization’s Carbon Footprint. In: Muthu, S. S. (editors). Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4373-3_4
49. Schleich, J., Dütschke, E., Kanberger, E., et al. (2024). On the relationship between individual carbon literacy and carbon footprint components. Ecological Economics, 218, 108100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.108100
50. SciVal. (2024). SciVal. Available online: https://www.scival.com/landing (accessed on 6 April 2024).
51. Scrucca, F., Barberio, G., Fantin, V., et al. (2021). Carbon footprint: Concept, methodology and calculation. In: Muthu, S. S. (editors). Carbon Footprint Case Studies. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9577-6_1
52. Sustainable Travel International. (2018). Carbon Footprint of Tourism. Available online: https://sustainabletravel.org/issues/carbon-footprint-tourism (accessed on 6 April 2024).
53. Sustainable Travel International. (2024). Sustainable Travel International. Available online: https://sustainabletravel.org/ (accessed on 6 April 2024).
54. Touchette, L., & Nepomuceno, M. V. (2020). The Environmental Impact of Consumption Lifestyles: Ethically Minded Consumption vs. Tightwads. Sustainability, 12(23), 9954. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239954
55. Tourism of Portugal & NOVA Tourism and Hospitality Platform. (2024). Available online: https://www.turismo.unl.pt/ (accessed on 14 April 2024).
56. Trabandt, M., Lasarov, W., & Viglia, G. (2024). It’s a pleasure to stay sustainably: Leveraging hedonic appeals in tourism and hospitality. Tourism Management, 103, 104907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104907
57. UNWTO. (2024). Sustainable development. Available online: https://www.unwto.org/sustainable-development (accessed on 14 April 2024).
58. Vieira, A. C. P., da Silva, E. M. F., & Odakura, V. V. V. A. (2021). Development of a web application for individual carbon footprint calculation. In: Proceedings of the 2021 XLVII Latin American Computing Conference (CLEI); Cartago, Costa Rica. https://doi.org/10.1109/CLEI53233.2021.9640099
59. Wackernagel, M., & Rees, W. (1998). Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. New Society Publishers.
60. Wassmann, R., Van-Hung, N., Yen, B. T., et al. (2022). Carbon footprint calculator customized for rice products: Concept and characterization of rice value chains in Southeast Asia. Sustainability, 14(1), 315. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010315
61. Wiedmann, T. & Minx, J. (2008). A Definition of Carbon Footprint. Ecological Economics Research Trends, 1, 1–11.
62. Winton, D., Marazzi, L., & Loiselle, S. (2022). Drivers of public plastic (mis)use—New insights from changes in single-use plastic usage during the Covid-19 pandemic. Science of the Total Environment, 849, 157672, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157672
63. Xiao, Y., Benoît Norris, C., Lenzen, M., et al. (2017). How social footprints of nations can assist in achieving the sustainable development goals. Ecological Economics, 135, 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.012
64. Yin, J., Wang, H., & Cai, Y. (2016). Water footprint calculation on the basis of input-output analysis and a biproportional algorithm: A case study for the Yellow River Basin, China. Water, 8(9), 363. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8090363
65. Yousif, O. S., & Zakaria, R. (2022). A framework for integrating green highway performance data with the carbon footprint calculator in Malaysia. Construction Economics and Building, 22(2), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v22i2.8012