Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint is a calculation of the total greenhouse gas emissions that arise as a result of the activities of companies, production plants and people. Simply put, it is the imprint that our activities leave on the climate of our earth.

There are three primary sources of emissions in any organization:

• Direct emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the company, for example emissions from combustion in boilers, furnaces, vehicles. Thermal energy consumption on the premises of the plant should also be taken into account, both for heating and powering machines 
• Indirect emissions that arise as a result of consumption of purchased electricity, heat, process steam, cold, compressed air or other energy media 
• Emissions occurring throughout the supply chain, e.g. from the manufacture of raw materials or semi-finished products, waste management, purchase of services, transport, business travel, flights and sea transport, or from the use of products by consumers 

When talking about the reduction of GHG (greenhouse gasses) emissions, we have in mind the following greenhouse gases:

• carbon dioxide CO2, 
• methane (CH4), 
• nitrous oxide (N2O), 
• hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), 
• perfluorocarbons (PFCs), 
• nitrogen trifluoride (NF3),
• sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

To facilitate the conversion and comparison of the results of the calculated carbon footprint, either for the entire organization or for a selected product, the substances are converted to CO₂ equivalents or CO2e₂e.

According to the GHG Protocol standard, an organization's carbon footprint is calculated in three ranges:

• includes direct emissions from facilities owned or supervised by the organization, 
• scope 2 - presents indirect energy emissions, 
• scope 3 - applies to all other indirect emissions in the organisation's value chain.

Determining the carbon footprint of your organization or product will help you set goals for your organization to reduce its negative impact on the climate. 

Very often, it is the decision to implement an energy management system compliant with ISO 50001 or to conduct an energy audit of the company that is the best point of reference for determining the baseline, identifying the sources of emissions in enterprises and indicating ways to reduce the carbon footprint.

If you are looking for the best sustainable development solutions for your company and you don't know where to start, please contact our team.