Things to consider are your on-site energy use, either for heating or powering machinery, and the emissions from petrol fleet vehicles. Scope 1 – these are your own direct emissions, including those from your processes and your vehicles.In addition, there are three different sets of emissions you can count – these are called scopes and look like this: To make life easier for everyone, these are all converted to CO 2 equivalent or CO 2(e) to produce a carbon footprint. Aside from CO 2, there are methane (CH 4), nitrous oxide (N 2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6). There are seven gases included in the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to lower all greenhouse gas emissions. The term ‘carbon footprint’ is common parlance and you’ll often hear the climate specialists talking about carbon neutral, but carbon dioxide isn’t the only emission that needs to be looked at. What do I need to count in my carbon footprint calculations? Regardless of the savings, the regulations and the chance to attract new customers, there is also the argument that it’s the right thing to do.Īnd if we are all going to try to cut our emissions, we need a starting point, a benchmark that we can use going forward to see if our changes have made a difference. We typically find that a business can cut its energy use by 24% with relatively easy and quick payback projects. Maybe it has never occurred to you just how much money is spent on lighting and heating, but when you go through the steps below, you will start to realise there are areas to cut costs.
#Carbon footprint quiz plus
And for those sectors where it isn’t yet regulatory, the closer we get to 2045, the chances of regulations being introduced become more likely.Ī big plus for any business working out its carbon footprint is the chance to identify cost and carbon-saving opportunities. A survey conducted by GlobalData last year revealed that around 45% of shoppers want to buy products that are better for the environment and it is an upward trend.ĭemonstrating that you are playing your part in the battle against climate change could give you a competitive edge and attract these customers to your business.ĭepending on the sector you operate in, knowing (and reporting on) your carbon footprint could be a regulatory requirement. Why should I measure my business’s carbon footprint?Ĭustomers are becoming more eco-savvy and there is a growing number of consumers who look at green credentials before they buy. If, collectively, we are going to succeed in that ambition, the onus falls on every business to do its bit. Scotland has set the ambitious target of becoming net zero by 2045, five years ahead of the rest of the UK. The climate challenge is a hot topic right now. They’re interesting to do and can highlight areas where you could be a little kinder to the planet.īut have you ever thought about calculating the carbon footprint of your business? The ones where you realise that if you walked to the shop instead of driving as you always mean to do, or remembered to turn your appliances off instead of constantly leaving them on stand-by, then you could feel less guilty about your own contribution to the climate emergency. Have you ever done an online quiz to calculate your carbon footprint?
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