What is a company’s Carbon Footprint? For a business, being aware of its carbon footprint is ground zero for initiating a Sustainability Project. The CFP data is expressed in tons of CO₂ equivalent* and it includes direct and indirect emissions caused by the organization, like energy consumption by its facilities, transportation, the product lifecycle, waste treatment, and ancillary activities like business trips and commuting.
Having long believed in sustainability, our first step was calculating our total emissions.
*CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) are a necessary unit of measurement to uniformly express the climate impact of different greenhouse gases.
The Carbon Disclosure Project’s methodology for calculating the carbon footprint. A transparent standard for companies.
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a global initiative that aims to make environment reporting a standard business practice, driving transparency, insight and action. This non-profit organization, founded in 2000, provides a framework for companies to disclose and address their greenhouse gas emissions, using a specific standard to provide accurate and transparent data.
The results obtained allow companies to assess their Carbon Footprint and reduce their environmental impact, promoting concrete actions and greater efforts to address climate change. In fact, companies participating in the CDP are evaluated based on their environmental performance, and the results are made public to encourage healthy competition.
The organization plays a crucial role in helping businesses become more aware of climate risks and contribute to a more sustainable future. In doing so, the Carbon Disclosure Project promotes environmental responsibility and transparency in business operations, making an essential contribution to the global fight against climate change.
The CDP Methodology
In order to calculate our CFP, we followed the Carbon Disclosure Project’s methodology that involves the following 5-point process:
- Begin with a complete inventory of greenhouse gas emissions by calculating Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity and heat), and Scope 3 (other indirect emissions) for each specific area: energy consumption, transportation, product lifecycle, and ancillary activities.
- During the second phase, identify the standardized/approved emission factors that will be used to convert physical units of emissions into CO₂ equivalents.
- With all the data collected for each area, emissions are divided according to whether they are Scope 1, Scope 2, or Scope 3 emissions. This phase provides a measure of the organization's carbon footprint.
- This phase involves presenting the data, with specific emission reduction targets to design an improvement and/or decarbonization plan.
- The final phase of the method involves ongoing monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, allowing for the assessment of achieving the goals set in the improvement plan, namely progress in emissions reduction, and making improvements if necessary.
From Method to Practice: Kolver's Results
Thanks to the use of the CDP method, we were able to calculate the quantity of Kolver's emissions over 12 months, expressed in CO₂ equivalents. This data is essential to pursue a major corporate goal: reducing polluting emissions year after year and making a positive contribution to society's well-being. Among the various items calculated for the year 2021, both for the Italian and North America facilities, let’s take a look at one positive result and one area for improvement.
Table left: Kolver results
Table right: Kolver North America results
Green Light: Our best results to highlight are related to Italian logistics, both incoming and outgoing. This demonstrates how Kolver prefers a local supply chain that minimizes CO₂ impact. This very positive result involves both product transportation to customers and deliveries from our suppliers.
Red Light: The CFP for 2021 highlighted how transportation from our North American facility is a clear area for improvement. Air and truck transportation currently have the highest percentages in terms of CO₂ emissions and the USA, Mexico and Canada have greater distances to cover, making this a tough challenge.
Ideas for the future
Kolver believes in sustainability and is trying to play its part through concrete improvement actions. Among the future insights that have already been considered, some could zero out certain CFP analysis data: for instance, replacing gas heating with electric heating through a heat pump, significantly reducing the impact from methane consumption. Additionally, the installation of photovoltaic panels at the company headquarters would eliminate the CO2 impact of all energy consumption.
Our goal is to continue this path of continuous improvement, closely linked to sustainability. To do so consistently and with measurable data, we commit to updating our Carbon Footprint year after year. In fact, the calculation of the CFP for 2022 is currently underway.