Where to start?
A carbon footprint is a calculation of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a company. The calculation can be done for products, services and organizations as a whole. For many companies GHG emissions are strongly related to energy consumption, but many other factors can contribute significantly, such as, mobility, emissions from chemical production, circularity, and so on. A carbon footprint is the starting point for the sustainability strategy of any organization. Together with your organization we determine what the depth of the CO2 footprint calculation should be. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (global standard for calculating greenhouse gas emissions) considers three different scopes:
Scope 1: direct GHG emissions occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the company, for example, emissions from combustion in boilers, vehicles, etc.
Scope 2: indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the company.
Scope 3: all other indirect emissions, i.e. from activities of other companies that play a role in your product or service value chain.
Read more about carbon footprinting by Mantis Consulting.
How can I reduce my footprint?
The outcome of a carbon footprint is only a starting point. The results need to be evaluated and a GHG emissions reduction plan is used to outline the steps towards the predefined reduction targets. Reducing GHG emissions can be done in a number of ways: the production or purchase of green electricity, energy efficiency and employee awareness training, sustainable mobility, implementing circularity principles, etc. A company specific approach is needed to implement the most efficient and cost-effective solution.
Climate Neutral
For most companies it is almost impossible to reduce GHG emissions to 'net zero'. To reach climate neutrality or carbon neutrality you will need to offset or compensate your residual GHG emissions. There are a number of possibilities.
The most common way is to stimulate (natural) carbon sequestration to compensate for your residuel GHG emissions. This includes different types of forests and mangroves, but also seaweed (farms) and other natural ecosystems. Next to carbon sequestration, this compensation method can also contribute to the achievement of other sustainable development goals, such as biodiversity. Carbon capture & storage (CCS) or carbon capture & utilization (CCU) are emerging technologies that are gaining importance in industry.
Certification
To achieve a credible carbon neutrality strategy it is important to work according to accepted standards and frameworks for each step of the process. Carbon footprinting is often based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and related methodologies such as the ISO-14064 or French 'Bilan Carbone'. Then there is a number of frameworks for Carbon Neutrality like 'Carbon Neutral' or 'CO2 Neutral'. If you wish to offset emissions you can buy carbon credits (read more about carbon credits) that are generated by certified and validated projects by through organisations and standards like Verra, Gold Standard, or Plan Vivo. In that way you make sure that you have the appropriate guarantees for authenticity and effectiveness of the projects that help your company reach climate neutrality.
Contact us for a GHG reduction plan for your company.
