Taking steps to find out carbon footprint

Jan 18 2008 By Erikka Askeland

Calculation of CO2 emissions key to managing costs

Are you are a carbon bigfoot? Or maybe your carbon footprint doesn't spread beyond the sole of the tiny glass slipper of a CO2-emitting Cinderella.

The way to figure it out is to measure your company's carbon footprint.

"The debate has moved quite quickly onto climate change and onto carbon as being the driver of climate change," says John Stocks, manager of the Carbon Trust Scotland. "As we move into an increasingly carbon constrained world, knowing your carbon footprint and managing it will be key to managing cost and the ability to operate in the future."

The Carbon Trust is a private company funded by government, whose aim is to advise companies on reducing their energy usage and costs.

The Carbon Trust has introduced some new tools for measuring carbon, such as an online carbon footprint calculator.

The calculator asks users to enter details of their energy use, vehicle use, electricity bills and employee travel.

They can also arrange for a consultant to do onsite visits, and they are also planning some free workshops about carbon footprinting in Scotland in the spring.

In order for carbon footprinting to be reliable, the Carbon Trust ensures that measurements follow the Green House Gas protocol. This ensures the footprint measures the scope of direct and indirect emissions - such as those coming directly from the workplace and those that may be caused by vehicles.

"Calculating is not difficult, understanding what you should calculate is abitharder. It is critical when you do finally publish a footprint, people can say yes, I see what they are doing,"says Stocks. "Understanding of the carbon footprint of an organisation or product is very important."

If the process of estimating a carbon footprint sounds complicated, Jim Goodwin, energy engineer with sausage-casing manufacturer Devro, assures it isn't.

Glasgow-based Devro has reduced its energy use by 12 per cent since 1995. And it remains on target to reduce it to 15 per cent by 2010. Goodwin estimates Devro has invested about £1m to ensure it meets these targets.

"It was only in the last year or so the buzz has been about the carbon footprint," explains Goodwin. "Although we've made huge investments in energy reductions, it is not easy for an industry like ours to reduce energy. We can't just switch things off."

Goodwin recently attended a seminar hosted by the Carbon Trust.

"Initially the carbon footprint seemed areally complex issue, but the seminars showed you can really start off very simply.

Then you evolve as you begin to put projects in to reduce waste to landfill and other things."

As a result, Devro is now looking at developing some ambitious projects.

Already Devro recycles its paper, cardboard and polythene. With its carbon footprint in mind it is also drawing up plans for a water recycling project with Scottish Water, and a project to compost organic waste. Some of these projects won't become viable until government gets more involved - either through increasing taxes on waste producers along the lines of a climate change levy, or increasing incentives for organisations such as Scottish Water to manage compost.

"It is hard for companies to get started. But once you are down that road and senior management can see the financial benefits you can start to put it into context," says Goodwin.

"To be honest some of our projects are not yet economically viable. But as legislation tightens up and the economics of landfill tax kick in, the alternatives will become more attractive."

For more information visit www.carbontrust.co.uk/footprintcalculator