In simple terms, a carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) caused directly or indirectly by a person, organisation, event or product.
The footprint considers all six of the Kyoto protocol greenhouse gases but for ease of calculation a carbon footprint is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This allows the different greenhouse gases to be compared on a like-for-like basis relative to one unit of CO2.
A proper measurement of your carbon footprint is the first step to managing, reporting and improving your organisation’s environmental performance.
A calculation of your carbon footprint will enable you:
- To manage your company’s carbon footprint and reduce its emissions over time.
- To reduce costs. In most cases, the larger sources of GHGs are the items that add cost to your business: fuel, electricity, raw materials, waste disposal and transport.
- To report the carbon footprint to a third party such as customers, stakeholders or for Corporate Social Responsibility purposes.
Pulse Environmental can help you calculate your carbon footprint and gain a better understanding of the environmental impact of your business.
Our consultants use predefined emission factors that convert your source data into tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Our conversion factors are from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and guidelines taken form the Carbon Trust, which is the leading Government organisation within this field.
