It is increasingly important to know the impact a particular activity has on the climate. In the not too distant future, this value will be decisive for classifying companies and will be taken into account when consumers make a purchase decision, functioning as a differentiating factor.
Sustainability has already entered everyone’s lexicon. And in its most varied aspects. This is reflected not only in consumer behavior, but mainly in the way companies organize and develop their businesses. In the near future, society in general, and consumers in particular, will value companies that have environmentally friendly policies and, on the contrary, penalize violators.
But what exactly is this carbon footprint and how does it impact the business? It corresponds to the impact that a certain activity has on the climate, whether it is associated with the daily activity of a company, the production of a certain product or the activity associated with a city or country. In other words, it is necessary to know, identify, diagnose and quantify this impact “to know the dimension of the “footprint” left by this activity, so that we can act in order to minimize or even mitigate this impact.
In order to account for this carbon footprint, a diagnosis using standard methodologies, such as the GHG Protocol, created by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, then planning that should ideally be in line with the so-called Science-Based Goals, where climate neutrality must be achieved in what is the activity of companies as a whole, from the use of raw materials to the distribution of their products, passing through its functioning.
But, even more important, is to account for emissions in a consistent, exhaustive, transparent and rigorous way that with the growing trend in recent years towards greater pressure in terms of reporting related to the different themes associated with the carbon, it is increasingly important to accurately and accurately measure and calculate the tons of carbon we generate.
An extra ton can represent an additional cost for the company. This is because you may have to pay more to meet your objective climate neutrality; it could also be a constraint on the granting of financial credit; or even alienate investors. These are some of the possible consequences. It is important to cover the entire value chain when calculating. Only in this way will the company have a transversal vision, which will allow it to establish a closer relationship with suppliers and customers.
The way in which companies can then reduce their carbon footprint will depend on the type of organization. Numerous factors must be taken into account, from considering direct emissions such as your car fleet, evaluating certain industrial processes that may be more efficient or emitting less carbon, to purchasing exclusively renewable electricity whose production can also be promoted by the company itself.
Or even tracking all the activity surrounding the company, from emissions associated with employee mobility, more sustainable raw materials with a lower carbon footprint, as well as the product or the form of distribution.
Regardless of that, it is necessary to define an emission reduction objective (or a set of reduction objectives depending on the specificity of the company’s activity or the requirement of the commitment that the company intends to establish). But there is a fundamental point: this objective must be aligned with science.
Greenly.earth, is a startup, launched to help companies reach zero carbon goal in line with the Paris Agreement that is limiting global warming to 2°C well below pre-industrial levels and continuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
The carbon footprint of companies
The corporate world carries out many activities that generate GHGs during their manufacturing, transmission or energy consumption processes. In this case, organizations often have the option of decreasing or offsetting their carbon footprint.
See the possible ways:
- Investing in improving its energy efficiency, through the consumption of energy from renewable sources;
- Investing in projects related to the environment and carrying out environmental awareness and promotion campaigns;
- Through the payment of green taxes or even the acquisition of tons of CO2 in the emissions market, among other actions.
