Carbon Footprint: What Solutions to Reduce it in Business?

Facing a growing awareness of the environmental impact of our activities, companies are increasingly being asked to play an active role in reducing carbon emissions. The carbon footprint, which assesses the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by an organization, has become a key indicator of their environmental commitment. But how can companies effectively reduce their carbon footprint? Discover in this article the major areas of intervention and best practices to achieve this.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is an environmental accounting tool that quantifies a company's GHG emissions. It includes not only direct emissions (such as those from company vehicles) but also indirect emissions (such as those related to the production of electricity consumed). Reducing this footprint is crucial to combat climate change and meet the growing expectations of consumers and regulators regarding environmental responsibility.

Faced with the climate emergency, what concrete solutions can companies adopt to significantly and sustainably reduce their carbon footprint?

Energy

Reduce energy consumption

To reduce the carbon footprint of companies, it is important to decarbonize their energy consumption by implementing daily management and simple actions.

Good idea: Install motion sensor lighting, turn off lights when absent, limit heating and air conditioning temperatures to reduce energy consumption.

The use of a building management system (BMS) and the integration of an energy management system (EnMS) framed by the ISO 50001 standard also make it possible to improve the energy efficiency of the company's infrastructure and reduce energy costs.

Optimize the energy efficiency of buildings

Buildings account for about 40% of global energy consumption and one-third of GHG emissions. Measures such as thermal insulation, installation of efficient heating and cooling systems, and the use of LED lighting can significantly reduce these emissions.

Good idea: Undertake energy renovation of a building to reduce its emissions by 30 to 50%.

Adopt renewable energy

Companies can opt for different renewable energy installations such as photovoltaic panels for solar energy, small wind turbines for wind energy, or heat pumps for heating. These installations can be placed on the roof, as a carport in the parking lot, or on the ground.

Good idea: Become a company entirely powered by renewable energy and thus significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

In addition, companies also have the opportunity to make informed choices regarding energy suppliers. Opting for green energy suppliers is an increasingly popular strategy. Green energy, produced from renewable sources such as wind, solar, or hydro, has the advantage of not emitting greenhouse gases.

‍

Production

Eco-design of products

Eco-design is an innovative approach to reducing the carbon footprint of businesses by designing products that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This practice takes into account the entire life cycle of the product, from the extraction of raw materials to the end of the product's life, including production, transport, and use. Certifications and eco-labels regulate this practice, and labeling products as eco-designed improves brand image and employer brand.

Good idea: Set up a collection and recycling system for products at the end of their life to promote the circular economy.

Digital Sobriety

Digital pollution accounts for 2.5% of carbon emissions in France. To reduce the carbon footprint of digital technology in companies, the REEN law encourages responsible use of digital technology.

Good idea: Favor Wi-Fi over 4G/5G, use energy-saving modes, invest in eco-designed or refurbished devices, repair defective devices, and raise awareness among employees about the reasonable use of paper and printing, limiting emails and attachments, regularly updating software, and putting devices on standby or turning them off when not in use to reduce digital pollution.

Furthermore, data centers, which process and store digital data, are also significant contributors to a company's carbon footprint. Solutions are being developed to reduce their carbon impact, such as powering them with renewable energy and recovering waste heat to heat nearby buildings.

‍

Transportation

Reduce Business Travel

Travel by plane and car represent a significant portion of a company's carbon emissions. Encouraging telecommuting, video conferencing, and alternative modes of transportation such as carpooling or cycling can reduce these emissions.

Good idea: Offer part-time telecommuting to reduce CO2 emissions due to transportation.

Optimize Logistics

Optimizing delivery routes and using more environmentally friendly vehicles can reduce carbon emissions.

Good idea: Invest in a fleet of electric vehicles and use algorithms to optimize delivery routes to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 30%.

‍

Waste

Improve Waste Management

Reducing, recycling, and reusing waste not only decreases the amount of waste sent to landfills but also the associated methane emissions.

Good idea: Aim for zero waste at office and production sites.

Promote the Circular Economy

The circular economy aims to keep products, materials, and resources in the economic cycle for as long as possible.

Good idea: Repair and resell used products to reduce the need to produce new items and decrease your carbon footprint.

Partners

To reduce your company's carbon footprint, it's important to include your stakeholders such as suppliers and investors.

Promote a Sustainable Supply Chain

Working with suppliers who share the same environmental goals can decrease indirect emissions.

Good idea: Require suppliers to reduce their GHG emissions to create a beneficial snowball effect.

Choose Partners with the Same Goals

Choose partners committed to reducing their environmental impact and investors who share common values of carbon neutrality and ecological transition. To attract these partners, have your company certified with CSR labels such as the Responsible Digital CSR label or the EcoVadis rating, and communicate transparently about your carbon footprint and your actions to reduce carbon emissions.

Good idea: Organize networking events or webinars on sustainability to meet potential partners and investors who share the same values.

‍

Formation

Raise Awareness and Train Employees

Raising employee awareness of ecological practices and training them in the efficient use of resources can have a significant impact.

Good idea: Implement training programs on energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption by 10 to 15%.

Monitoring

Measure and Track Progress

Finally, regularly measuring carbon emissions and tracking progress allows for the identification of areas that need improvement.

Good idea: Use tools like Colibris. Since 2017, Colibris has offered a proven method to assess and improve the economic and environmental performance of your supplier contracts. This solution allows you to choose between several paths, such as Responsible Digital, GHG Protocol, and Net Zero, to separately analyze your financial and CSR performance. With personalized reports, you can communicate essential information to your teams to minimize their environmental impact. The recommended actions are based on independent, automatic analyses performed each month, regardless of your suppliers. Colibris is also EKITIA certified, guaranteeing client data security, data hosting in France, and compliance with GDPR standards. The collected data contributes to your extra-financial reports and can be audited to validate your statements.

Request a demo.

Reducing a company's carbon footprint requires a holistic approach and the implementation of various strategies. By optimizing energy, production, transportation, waste, partners, training, and monitoring, companies can not only reduce their environmental impact but also improve their reputation and profitability.

‍