Carbon Footprint Your Business

The first step is to gather data on all Greenhouse Gas emissions related to your business activities in a chosen baseline year. This includes things like energy used for heating and lighting, transportation, and industrial and commercial processes. It is also essential to include supply chain emissions which is also known as Scope 3. Where data is not available, secondary data and proxy assumptions are made. However, the more this is used, the less reliable the business’s carbon footprint is.

Using the baseline carbon footprint data a business is able to identify the clear emissions hotspots to start making reductions. This will vary depending on the business and sector but incorporates finding efficient alternatives to everything within their control and influencing and making procurement decisions on their supply chain. When every effort has been made to decarbonise, businesses can start to look at mitigation strategies to offset the remaining emissions.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a global standardised framework to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions for businesses, countries and cities. This means that when managing your carbon emissions in line with such recognised standards you can be confident that your results and actions are credible. To find out more about the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, you can visit their website here.

There are 3 scopes incorporated in an business’s carbon footprint. Each scope is a way of categorising different kinds of emissions a business creates. This is established by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to cover both direct and indirect emissions so that businesses gain a full picture of their carbon footprint. Scope 3 is the largest source of emissions and includes all emissions from across your supply chain. Scope 3 emissions are sub-categorised into 15 emissions sources, such as purchased goods and services, transportation and distribution, and use of sold products to name a few.

Both are considered key carbon footprint checkpoints for a business. Carbon Neutral means you have achieved a balance between emitting and absorbing emissions from the atmosphere through reduction and offsetting methods for both Scopes 1 & 2. The same balance is required to achieve Net Zero Carbon, however this must also include Scope 3 emissions which covers all CO2 from your value chain. Also Carbon Neutral can be achieved by offsetting with ‘avoidance’ credits, however Net Zero needs to be via ‘removal’ credits.

Net Zero is a long-term target where no incremental Greenhous Gas emissions are added into the atmosphere. To achieve this, businesses need to work on reducing their total carbon footprint by 90% no later than 2050 against their baseline year.