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Introduction to Carbon Footprint Calculations
Measuring your carbon footprint can help your business to become more sustainable, reduce costs, and become more efficient. It can also come with it’s own challenges, as the end result is only as accurate as the data you can provide.
What is a Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) that your business emits. This is usually measured in metric tons of CO2 equivalent, and is represented as a ‘CO2e’ figure.
Why should you measure your carbon footprint?
Measuring your carbon footprint helps you to identify the environmental impact of your business operations. The UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting policy requires some businesses to annually report on their carbon footprint data. The guidance states you must report if you are a business that meets two or more of the following:
- A turnover of £36m or more
- A balance sheet of £18m or more
- 250 employees or more
Many SMEs do not need to report their carbon footprint, however it is still good practice to measure and understand where emissions come from within your business.
Challenges to be aware of
- It can take time – gathering data from your business requires some effort, especially if you’re starting from scratch.
- It can be difficult – you may not have access to complete records which can make getting accurate figures hard.
- Needs others to be supportive – not everyone might be on board with measuring your carbon footprint, or be willing to provide the data you need.
We’re here to help – over the following pages you will find templates, guides and more to support you with measuring your carbon footprint.
Get started
Step one
Beginner
Measuring your Carbon Footprint can seem like a daunting task. Here, you’ll find a guide on how to start measuring your carbon footprint by getting to grips with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
Step two
Intermediate
If you’ve already started measuring your carbon footprint, it’s important to ensure that the data you’ve gathered is accurate and that your methodology is robust. This should include any data that you’ve chosen to exclude, and the reasons why, as well as what method you’ve chosen to get your calculation.
Step three
Expert
Carbon footprint calculations help you to see where your major sources of emissions are in your organisation. By this step, you should have calculated your carbon footprint.