What is carbon footprinting?
Carbon footprinting is the process of measuring the amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, emitted by an individual, organisation, or product, in order to understand and manage their impact on the environment. This measurement is usually expressed in units of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). The goal of carbon footprinting is to identify sources of emissions, so that they can be reduced or offset. This is often used as a tool for organisations and individuals to evaluate and reduce their impact on the environment and climate change and to work towards becoming net zero.
How does an organisation calculate the carbon footprint?
To calculate the carbon footprint of an organization, you would typically need to gather data on the organization’s emissions from various sources. The most common sources of emissions for organizations include:
- Energy use: This includes emissions from electricity, heating, and transportation fuel consumption.
- Industrial processes: This includes emissions from the production of goods and services.
- Waste: This includes emissions from the disposal of waste, such as methane emissions from landfills.
- Business travel: This includes emissions from air, rail, and road travel for business purposes.
Once you have gathered data on emissions from these sources, you can use a calculation tool, such as the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard), to convert the emissions data into CO2e. The final calculation will be the total emissions from these sources, which represents the organization’s carbon footprint.
It is worth noting that there are different calculation methodologies and standards for carbon footprinting, and organisations may choose to use different standards depending on their specific needs and goals. At WRM we can support your carbon calculation needs making sure it aligns to international standards and your corporate goals. Read more about what we can offer at https://wrm-ltd.co.uk/services/carbon-footprint/
