How can you reduce your company's carbon footprint?

The growing significance of corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) is worth highlighting too. Corporate PPAs present an opportunity for businesses to directly source renewable energy from project developers. While traditionally favored by larger enterprises, the landscape is rapidly becoming more accessible. This transformation is primarily driven by automation and standardization, facilitated by digital and software-driven solutions. Embracing renewable energy through corporate PPAs not only contributes to reducing your carbon footprint but also holds the potential to lower and stabilize energy costs.

While many companies understandably prioritize monitoring and reducing their direct emissions, it's becoming increasingly clear that this alone won't suffice. Scope 3 emissions play a pivotal role in this climate equation. These emissions, which typically make up more than 70% of a business's carbon footprint, tend to fly under the radar on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reports. Shifting our attention to Scope 3 is absolutely essential. It's time for businesses to take a holistic approach. Every link in the value chain contributes to the climate challenge we face.

We applied with a new solar technology which uses materials that are mainly locally sourced, are fully recyclable and circular and can be made entirely from bio-based polymers. It have an ultra-low carbon footprint, do not contain toxic materials such as PFAS and are more than 50% lighter in weight than standard PV modules.

Switching to renewable energy sources, such as solar power, is an effective way for organizations to reduce their carbon emissions, cut operating costs, and promote corporate sustainability. Solar power and other renewable energy sources generate electricity with significantly lower carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

As the Project and Sustainability Manager for our dairy company, we are currently on a mission to reduce our Carbon foot prints drastically by 2030. I’ve initiate a comprehensive energy audit to identify areas where we can reduce energy consumption. Upgrading to energy-efficient equipment, lighting, and HVAC systems can significantly lower our carbon emissions. We are exploring renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, for our operations is a priority. By investing in clean energy, we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We are regularly tracking and reporting our sustainability progress to stakeholders, including employees, investors, and consumers, demonstrates our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.

A good place to start is to look at the energy efficiency of your offices and any external buildings you use. Energy use is not only determined by the use phase, but also by the embedded carbon footprint of the materials. By incorporating circularity into sustainable building practices, you can lower this embedded energy. Also thinking carefully how you can reuse an existing building as opposed to building a new one is a circular decision. This not only maximizes the utilization of existing resources but also mitigates the production of greenhouse gases, fostering a more sustainable and resilient built environment.

Lots of energy is lost without somebody knowing about it (or knowing it in time): the setting of a Building Management System is automatically reset, the filter of a ventilation group isn't replaced in time, people adjust comfort temperatures, etc. You can easily detect these problems in real time by modeling the energy consumption behavior of buildings and installations based on energy meter data. I'm talking about fully automated modeling with AI, of course. Savings up to 20-30%, without significant investments or long configuration cycles. Plug-and-play in two weeks. Start saving energy now!

One of the best ways to improve energy efficiency is to conduct an energy audit to assess your energy consumption and identify areas where energy-efficient equipment, LED lighting, and solar power can be integrated into your organization.

Energy efficiency is often identified as the most direct way to reduce carbon footprint. In fact, according the the IEA, it accounts for 40% of the abatement needed by 2040. It is a needle mover of its own way. Organisations would gain value from energy efficiency improvement as operating costs drop due to reduction of energy usage. The world will benefit from carbon abatement.

As more industries try to adopt the hybrid work culture, the higher chances of reducing carbon footprint due to transportation. A big lesson the pandemic taught us.

Transitioning to renewable energy is a significant step toward reducing carbon emissions and aligning your business with sustainable practices, but organizations have to engage employees, stakeholders, and customers in sustainability efforts and educate them about the benefits of corporate sustainability

The importance of collaborating with providers and other agents in the supply chain cannot be overstated, especially in the context of reducing a company's carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability. A vast majority of a business's environmental impact often comes from outside its immediate operations, embedded in the activities of suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics providers. Open innovation and collaboration are key to addressing this challenge effectively. By working closely with these external partners, companies can co-create solutions that are not just innovative but also environmentally responsible. Jointly developed sustainability metrics and targets can ensure that everyone is aligned in these efforts.

Dare to look critically at your business model. If you market a product which breaks after 2 years (right after the warranty period ends), and people have to buy the updated product again, you can reduce your scope 1 &2 carbon footprint as much as you want, but you'll never significantly reduce your scope 3. And scope 3 is where the big impact lies for most companies.