Hold on a second – this is the second of three parts in our sustainability series, so if you haven’t read the first one yet, we recommend you jump there first.
Now that you have learned to understand and measure everything about GHG emissions in the first part and could recite the scopes in your sleep, Blog 2/3 answers questions you may have had after the first part, such as:
“What do I do with the knowledge now?”, ”How can I properly apply my knowledge to my business and really make a difference?”
The GHG accounting is complete and you have an overview of your scopes. Now it’s about setting a target based on the assessment and the transparency it provides in order to make continuous progress and improve in terms of emissions.
Digression – Avoidance vs. reduction vs. compensation
Avoiding greenhouse gas emissions means preventing emissions from occurring in the first place. This can be achieved by avoiding activities or technologies that would release greenhouse gases. Examples of this include avoiding unnecessary business trips or using video-based meetings instead of physical meetings. Avoiding emissions aims to eliminate the source of emissions.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, refers to reducing the amount of emissions already being produced. This can be achieved by increasing efficiency, improving technology or changing behavior. One example would be to use the train to the next external appointment instead of an airplane or car, or to offer regional and seasonal products in catering or in the canteen. Reduction means that emissions continue to be produced, but in smaller quantities than before.
Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions refers to compensating for the emissions that have already been produced by taking measures that reduce or bind emissions elsewhere. This can be done by purchasing emission certificates, supporting reforestation projects or investing in renewable energy projects. Offsetting means that the emissions take place but are to be neutralized through compensation measures.
Looking to make a difference? – You need a goal achievement!
Consistently monitor the implementation of the targets to ensure that they are met. It is crucial to record emissions and all external reductions consistently, completely and transparently – also keyword credibility.
KPIs, for example, can be used to track progress – an effective tool for achieving targets, especially with a clear organizational structure and corresponding incentives.
What is a reduction goal?
A reduction goal describes how much a company wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, over what period of time and in which areas. For effective and comprehensible reduction targets, it is necessary to have measured and calculated the current emissions – a reference to our first blog in the series.
A particularly popular form is to specify a percentage reduction in the target year compared to a base year.
Example: In 2030, you want to emit 50 percent fewer greenhouse gases than in 2024. 2030 is therefore the target year here, 2024 the base year and 50 percent the targeted reduction.
Your climate protection strategy is created
The GHG reduction targets in combination with derived measures form your climate protection strategy. The foundation is the greenhouse gas balance sheet that has already been drawn up. As with the balance sheet, you can initially derive your own measures that will be incorporated into the climate protection strategy, but in the long term there are also providers who can help and advise you.
It also helps to identify the source of emissions that has the greatest avoidance potential. Of course, this is highly dependent on your company and the industry in which you operate. However, there are a few areas where there is often great potential for savings:
- Your electricity supply: Regardless of whether you are heating large production halls or simply supplying your work laptop with electricity – you need energy in any case. Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is simple, quick and extremely effective in making your energy consumption sustainable.
- Your transportation: Transportation plays a key role in the greenhouse gas balance, and not just for freight forwarders and logistics companies. Service companies also generate relevant transport emissions through business trips and their employees’ commutes. In addition to switching to electromobility in the vehicle fleet, the promotion of climate-friendly means of transportation can also make an important contribution. For example, business trips can be made more sustainable by specifying in travel guidelines when trains should be used instead of planes. Subsidies for public transport or company bicycles motivate people to leave their cars at home more often, especially in cities. In addition, transport companies and bicycle leasing providers often offer attractive conditions.
- Your waste management: The core principles for sustainable waste management are: 1) Avoid, 2) Reuse, 3) Recycle, 4) Dispose. Consistent application of these principles conserves resources and promotes the circular economy.
Climate protection strategies can take various approaches.
A climate neutrality strategy aims to achieve climate neutrality by avoiding, reducing and offsetting remaining emissions.
Net-zero strategies are based on science-based targets that are in line with the 1.5° target of the Paris Agreement, whereby you focus on avoiding and reducing your own emissions.
A climate finance strategy is based on an internal carbon price for emissions, which generates financial resources for investments in climate protection measures and projects.
These steps together form your climate protection strategy, which you should publish to show your customers, business partners and potential employees that you take climate protection seriously and ensure transparency and traceability of your measures.
Now that you know the different approaches to avoiding, reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, it’s time to take concrete action. Your climate protection strategy should include clear goals, a plan for implementation, a strategy for measuring success and regular reporting. Make sure that all employees are involved and that you continuously adapt your strategy to stay up to date.
In the third part of our series, we will focus on the latter – how can you communicate and report effectively? We will also briefly touch on the topic of offsetting and financing and show you how you can use these instruments in a targeted manner to achieve your climate goals.
Stay tuned and make the difference – every step counts on the road to a more sustainable future.
If you haven’t read the last part of our series yet, click here.
Want more?
Would you like to find out more about the topic and would you like to put your heads together? Then we recommend our workshop on sustainability. Incidentally, we go far beyond the topic of greenhouse gases. Have a look. We would be delighted to welcome you!