carbon foot printing - a brief introduction

8/7/2019 Carbon Foot Printing - A Brief Introduction

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Carbon Footprinting A Brief Introduction

By using electricity generated from fossil-fuel power stations, burning gas orilluminated paraffin for heating, or driving a petrol or diesel-powered car, everyperson is responsible for CO2 emissions.

Furthermore, every product or service that humans consume indirectly createsCO2 emissions as energy is required for their production, transport, and disposal.These products and services may also cause emissions of other greenhousegases.

Understanding and addressing the full range of our impact on the environment iscrucial for the effects of climate change to be minimized.

The total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by anindividual, organization, or product is commonly called their carbon footprint.Establishing the carbon footprint of an organization can be the first step in aprogramme to reduce the emissions it causes.

This brief introduction is in assisting businesses with the basic information neededto establish their carbon footprint, and highlights some of the key issues faced inthe calculation of a carbon footprint.

What is a carbon footprint?

The term carbon footprint is commonly used to describe the total amount of CO2and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for which an individual or organizationis responsible. Carbon footprints can also be calculated down to the unit ofproduct level for processing companies, and per square metre for service-oriented organizations.

The full footprint of an organization encompasses a wide range of emissionssources from direct use of fuels to indirect impacts such as employee travel oremissions from other organizations up and down the supply chain.

When calculating an organization`s footprint, it is important to try and quantify aswide a range of emissions sources as possible in order to provide a completepicture of the organization`s environmental impact.

In order to produce a reliable footprint, it is important to follow a structuredprocess and to classify all the possible sources of emissions thoroughly. Acommon classification is to group and report on emissions by the level of controlwhich an organization has over them.

On this basis, greenhouse gas emissions can be classified into 3 main types asper the Greenhouse Gas Protocol:

1. Direct emissions that result from activities the organization controls

Most commonly, direct emissions will result from combustion whichproduce CO2 emissions, for example the furnace oil and coal used inindustrial boilers.

In addition, some organizations will directly emit other greenhouse gases.For example, the manufacture of some chemicals produces methane(CH4), and the use of fertilizer leads to nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.

2. Emissions from the use of electricity


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Workplaces generally use electricity for lighting, machinery, and processequipment. Electricity comes from a range of sources, including nuclear,coal, and renewable.

However, in South Africa, around 92.75 % of electricity is producedthrough the burning of coal. Although the organization is not directly in

control of the emissions, by purchasing this `dirty` electricity, it isindirectly responsible for the release of CO2.

3. Indirect emissions from products and services

Each product or service that is purchased by an organization is responsiblefor emissions. In other words, the way the organization uses products andservices affects its carbon footprint.

For example, a company that manufactures a product is indirectlyresponsible for the carbon that is emitted in the preparation and transportof the raw materials.

Downstream emissions from the use and disposal of products can also beindirectly attributed to the organization.

It is clear, therefore, that producing a full carbon footprint covering allthree types of greenhouse gas emissions can be quite a complex andchallenging task. A further complexity in understanding publishedfootprints is that they are rarely comparable for the following reasons:

Despite emerging international standards not all organizations follow thesame approach to calculating their footprints or classify their emissions in thesame way.

Some footprints are expressed on a time period basis, such as thefootprints of a company which are typically measured annually. Others areexpressed on a unit basis, such as per square metre or product purchased.

Carbon footprints are typically calculated to include all greenhouse gasesand are expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalents (tCO2e). However, others arecalculate the footprint to include CO2 only and express the footprint in tonnes ofCO2 (tonnes of CO2).

The overarching reason for needing a carbon footprint will determine whichapproach is the most appropriate.

In some cases it may be possible to do a basic footprint, in others a much more

rigorous process will be required.

Both approaches are briefly discussed later.

Why calculate a carbon footprint?

There are typically two main reasons for any organization to want tocalculate its carbon footprint:

1. To manage the organizational carbon footprint and reducegreenhouse gas emissions over time.

2. To report the organizational carbon footprint accurately to a thirdparty.


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Carbon footprinting for management of emissions

Calculating an organization`s carbon footprint can be an effective tool forongoing energy and environmental management.

If this is the main reason that an organization requires a carbon footprint,

it is generally enough to understand and quantify the key greenhouse gasemissions sources through a basic process. This process will typicallyincludes gas, coal and furnace oil, electricity, and transport.

This approach is relatively quick and straight-forward.

Having quantified the greenhouse gas emissions, opportunities forreduction can be identified and prioritized, starting with the areas ofgreatest savings potential.

Footprinting for accurate reporting

Organizations increasingly want to calculate their carbon footprint in detailfor public disclosure in a variety of contexts:

1. For marketing purposes

2. For CSI purposes

3. For inclusion in an institutional index, i.e., the JSE SRI Index

4. To confirm commitment to environmental sustainability, i.e., ISO14001 accreditation

5. To form part of a global forum on climate change, i.e. the CDP

initiative

6. To fulfil requests from customers or investors

7. To ascertain what level of emissions they need to offset in order tobecome carbon neutral.

For these reasons, a more robust approach is needed, covering the fullrange of greenhouse gas emissions for which the organization isresponsible.

It may also be appropriate for the calculation to be independently verifiedto ensure that the methodology has been correctly used and the resultsare accurate.

Calculating a carbon footprint

A basic approach to carbon footprinting

For most organizations, calculation of a basic carbon footprint is a fairlyquick exercise. A basic carbon footprint is likely to cover direct emissionsfrom electricity these are the simplest to manage, but exclude some ofthe indirect emissions.

There are usually a handful of major greenhouse gas emission sources

that must be quantified, including:


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Onsite fuel usage

Onsite electricity usage

Use of transport which the organization owns

To get the key information to calculate a basic carbon footprint, collectdata from all utility meters or accounts, all consumption figures fororganizational consumption of fossil fuels in production processes, andrecord the distances travelled by the organization`s vehicles.

Convert the fuel, electricity, and transport consumption figures to CO2 byusing the standard emission factors.

When calculating a basic carbon footprint, it is common to excludesources of indirect emissions which the organization does not control, forexample, emissions from waste, from the supply chain, or from employeetravel on public transport or airlines.

Once the basic carbon footprint has bee established, it is then possible totake steps to manage the greenhouse gas emissions in a progressivemanner:

1. Set and agree energy efficiency, or greenhouse gas emissionsreduction targets.

2. Identify likely opportunities for energy efficiency of greenhouse gasemissions reductions.

3. Prioritise the opportunities, based on internal environmental or

financial criteria.4. Take decisive action to implement the opportunities.

5. Monitor the performance of the actions taken and improve asnecessary.

The basic carbon footprint calculation is but a broad indication the of thecurrent situation in the company, and provide broad guidelines for areasof improvement.

Producing a full carbon footprint

Accurate and comprehensive calculation of the organizations`s carbonfootprint requires a more detailed approach, and may require specialistadvice.

The five steps indicated below, the exact detail which will be explored at alater stage, shows a systematic approach, suitable for producing anaccurate and comprehensive carbon footprint:

1. Define the methodology

2. Specify the boundary and scope of coverage

3. Collect comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions data andcalculate the carbon footprint


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4. Verify results optional

5. Disclose the carbon footprint optional

Using a carbon footprint for greenhouse gas emissionsmanagement

Calculating the carbon footprint of the organization is only the beginningof greenhouse gas emissions management.

There is little point in calculating a carbon footprint, unless theorganization then acts on this information to actively reduce greenhousegas emissions, and improve energy efficiency.

Carbon footprinting can be a useful, and valuable exercise as part of acomplete environmental system.

carbon foot printing - a brief introduction

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