New year, new start: Get started on measuring your CO2 footprint
Measuring your carbon footprint is key to understanding and reducing your environmental impact, enabling you to set goals, make informed decisions, and contribute to a more sustainable future. It's not just about environmental responsibility; it's a path to cost savings, positive brand image, and regulatory compliance in our increasingly eco-conscious world.
Our Commitment to Climate Change
As part of our mission to combat climate change, we've taken the plunge and decided to measure our own carbon footprint. It's our way of holding ourselves accountable and leading by example - although we are not legally mandated to do so.
Now, when it comes to measuring a small business's carbon footprint, there's a toolbox full of options, but we decided to keep it simple, to take it one step at a time without getting overwhelmed from the beginning.
Our focus? We zoomed in on the three distinct scopes of emissions.
Understanding the Three Scopes of Emissions
In a nutshell, Scope 1 emissions are the direct emissions an organization generates from its own activities. Think of it as the CO2 produced by burning fuel for our company vehicles. Scope 2 emissions, on the other hand, are a tad more indirect. These emissions come from purchased energy sources, like the electricity that powers our operations. Scope 3 emissions cast a wider net, encompassing various indirect emissions associated with activities like employee commuting, supply chain operations, and business travel. They give us the full picture of our environmental impact, extending beyond our immediate operations.
Revealing Our Carbon Footprint & Considerations for the Future
So, you're probably wondering, "What's your carbon footprint?"
In 2022, our estimated carbon footprint was 33,468 kg of CO2. To put that into perspective, that should be the equivalent of the carbon sequestration potential of 1521 trees. We had 0 emissions from Scope 1, and 32% of our emissions are from Scope 2, and the rest, 68%, are Scope 3 emissions (see image below).
Breakdown of Emissions - Scopes 2 and 3 (Total Emissions for 2022: 33,468 kg of CO2)
Most of our emissions (52%) were due to our trips to planting sites (Link). But don't worry; these weren't just joyrides. We wanted to make sure our trees were thriving! This year, we finally employed permanent staff in the field, e.g. our forestry and field officer in Tanzania, so we're cutting down on those emissions for the team travelling far distances while conducting monitoring more often than before. We've decided to optimize our office space, considering that most of us primarily work from the comfort of our homes. This move isn't just about convenience; it's also a strategic step to reduce our Scope 2 emissions, further aligning our actions with our commitment to a sustainable future.
In the journey towards a more sustainable future, it's important to have a vision for what lies ahead. While we've taken our initial steps in measuring our own carbon footprint, our future objectives are even more ambitious. We're dedicated not only to maintaining vigilance in monitoring and reducing our emissions but also to broaden our efforts by addressing the emissions linked to our project partners. Collaborative initiatives are at the core of our mission, and it's crucial to encompass the environmental impact across our entire network. Recognizing that these initiatives will bring increased complexity, we've opted to begin with a more straightforward approach for now, ensuring we comprehensively understand our path forward.
Join Us in Making a Positive Impact
Now, it's your turn. Have you measured your carbon footprint yet? If not, the beginning of the year poses a great chance to start collecting data, measuring and setting targets.
Do you want to measure your travel emissions or the carbon footprint of your work event and understand how you can not only offset negative impact but turn your company into a source of positive impact? Get in touch with us, we’d be thrilled to help.
