On 28 February 2022, the IPCC presented a new report [1]. Various media are talking about an alarming message, in which it becomes clear that the current climate policy is inadequate. In the past decade, greenhouse gas emissions have never increased so much compared to previous decades. Meanwhile, global warming has risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius. Without new measures, this will increase to over 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The business world has a large footprint due to the emission of greenhouse gases and must take measures to reduce emissions. What is a CO2 footprint, and how can you, as a company, reduce your footprint?
What is a carbon footprint?
Before CO2 emissions can be reduced or compensated, it is necessary to have a carbon footprint made. A carbon footprint is a calculation of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the company over the past year.
This CO2 emission inventory gives an overview of the contribution to the climate change status quo. Other environmental impacts such as water use, land use or soil contamination are not included in the calculation. Therefore, you can use the life cycle assessment method.
The calculation and preparation of this carbon footprint are based on the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064. These are the global standards for quantifying, monitoring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions.
Why reduce your carbon footprint?
The impact of industry and business on total greenhouse gas emissions is still too significant. Partly because of this, climate targets are not being met. By calculating your CO2 footprint, it is possible to determine where gain can be made to reduce your CO2 footprint.
It is also crucial for an organisation to be future-proof. The laws and regulations are becoming increasingly stricter to achieve the climate goals. By carrying out a timely CO2 footprint calculation as an organisation, you know what measures you can take to comply with them.
Moreover, there is a lot of demand nowadays for organisations that do business in a sustainable way, which means that a CO2 footprint can improve the image of your organisation.
Tips to reduce your organisation's footprint
The importance of knowing what an organisation’s carbon footprint is is growing all the time. To know exactly how your organisation can reduce its footprint, a carbon footprint specified for your organisation offers the solution. There are also several tips to start reducing your carbon footprint today.
- Create an itemised carbon footprint of your organisation’s direct emissions.
- Generate your own energy using solar panels. Not only does this make the energy consumption of your organisation more sustainable. This will reduce your energy bill, and you can even earn money from the energy returned to you.
- No possibility of generating your own energy? Choose local green energy. You can reduce your carbon footprint by switching from fossil fuels to local green energy generated by solar panels and windmills.
- Travel by bicycle, public transport or electric car as much as possible. You can save up to 200 grams of CO2 per person per kilometre (2). Do you have many employees? Calculate your (climate) profit!
- Take a look at your premises’ temperature, insulation and air flows. Reducing your gas consumption not only saves CO2 but also a lot of money with today’s gas prices.
- Separate your business waste. Depending on the type of organisation, be critical of the use of materials and their waste processing.
