3 recommendations to reduce your corporate carbon footprint
hace 6 year
"Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity. Companies that fail to take climate action will be punished by their shareholders and the planet." (WEF, 2020, p.10) Alan Jope (CEO, Unilever UK)
The private sector Peruvian companies are not oblivious to global trends and the fight against climate change. carbon neutrality.
But, what is the carbon footprint and how is it measured? Javier Perla, Sustainable Business Manager, explains that the carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted directly or indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product.
According to the international standard ISO 14064, which is also a Peruvian technical standard, GHG emissions are categorized as follows 3 scopes:
- Direct emissions or emissions from sources controlled by the organization (scope 1).
- Indirect emissions from electricity, heating or steam consumption (Scope 2).
- Indirect emissions from sources not owned or controlled by the organization but related to its activities (Scope 3).
In addition, the amount of an organization's GHG emissions is the result of a variety of factors such as type of industry and/or operation, level of technological innovation, size of organization, etc.
"Knowing the composition of the carbon footprint (CF) is crucial in the search for reduction actions."Javier Perla (Sustainable Business Manager, Libélula)
Once the composition of the HC is known, it is key to identify those actions with high reduction potential and low implementation cost. Perla recommends 3 of them:
1. Design and implement awareness campaigns on energy and materials usage.
Once the HC has been measured, it is important to communicate the results to employees to promote their involvement in emission reduction actions. "Awareness campaigns on the use of energy (turn off unused appliances) or materials (#PiensoLuegoImprimo) with the designation of internal leaders reduces the intensity of GHG emissions and empowers employees in their professional development. We have seen cases in Peruvian companies, specifically in a restaurant chain, where internal communication campaigns have generated environmental impact reduction and resource savings, which translates into reduced operating costs," argues Perla.
2. Manage the value chain with suppliers.
A company has an impact through its activity but also through its value chain. By developing environmental criteria for supplier selection, GHG emissions can be reduced. This may seem complex, but there are concrete examples of its implementation. For example, it is possible to prioritize the hiring of courier services that use sustainable mobility (bicycles or electric transport) as Mail on Bike. This can generate efficiencies, as this type of transportation can offer very competitive rates, reach destinations faster and reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
3. Promote sustainable transportation for employees.
An average service company (depending on the nature of its operation) could have 15 to 25% of its HC related to transportation of its workers from home to work, as part of Scope 3. Promoting more sustainable transportation practices could help reduce its impacts. Some of the practices could be to prioritize the use of cab services that offset their emissions (e.g. Cabify) and to conduct awareness campaigns that promote sustainable transportation and carpooling among employees. There are already companies that promote that their employees (if they live close enough and the road infrastructure allows it) get an electric scooter provided by their employer at no initial cost and that is deducted from their monthly salary progressively. This can result in less time in traffic, less stress and higher employee productivity.
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