Recently, all of Iberdrola´s employees received a survey to calculate the carbon footprint caused by our daily trips to the offices. This initiative is part of the company’s emissions inventory that it has been doing since the year 2010 in compliance with the ISO 14064 standard.
This control has given us a better idea of greenhouse gas emissions, enabling us to identify opportunities for cost-savings and providing the information that is needed to design strategic guidelines for sustainable development. Every year, Iberdrola tries to improve its carbon footprint by including new emissions categories. That is why the company has just launched the campaign I mentioned above to calculate the footprint left by its workers as they travel to work.
There is ample evidence that most of global warming was caused by human activities. Daily energy use, travel, the products we consume; every one of our daily actions is associated to greenhouse gas emissions, which together make up our carbon footprint.
Almost everything we do (mobility, food, etc.) and almost all the objects we own and use (consumer goods, home, etc.) involve energy consumption, which means that they contribute towards atmospheric emissions, with the resulting direct impact on the environment and on climate change.
The carbon footprint is defined as the total greenhouse gases (measured in tonnes of equivalent CO2) emitted into the atmosphere due to the direct or indirect effect of an individual, organisation, event or product; in other words, emissions that are due to our everyday activities or to the manufacturing and marketing of a product. Therefore, it represents a measurement that helps organisations to be socially responsible institutions and another element in raising awareness so that the general public adopts more sustainable practices.
Carbon footprint analysis spans all the stages in the life cycle of a particular product, service or activity (from when the raw materials are acquired to how the waste is managed) and this knowledge enables consumers to decide what goods to buy based on the pollution generated as a result of the processes involved.
In this regard, in the case of an organisation, it corresponds to the CO2 emissions produced by its daily operations: from the procurement of raw materials to waste management, for a product, material or service. This includes the CO2 emissions associated to the life cycle of its production chain. In the case of an individual, it means the CO2 emissions that correspond to their daily activities.
The following aspects are taken into account when calculating a personal carbon footprint: accommodation (including surface area, energy consumption and fittings), transport, food and consumer goods (technological equipment, miscellaneous supplies, furniture, clothing, entertainment).
Now that we know what the definition of this aspect is, what is the benefit of calculating this figure? Well, there are several advantages for various goals such as the quantification, reduction and offsetting of CO2 emissions, the creation of a market for low-carbon products and services, the identification of opportunities for cost-saving in organisations and demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to social responsibility by looking at their compliance with combating climate change.
Knowing our carbon footprint will also help us to look for solutions to bring down and offset our emissions, which is a major challenge that we should all strive to meet.
So what are the tools for reducing emissions? There are several, including the generation of electricity from clean and renewable sources, such as wind power or marine energy, as well as new technologies such as carbon capture and CO2 storage. Energy efficiency (schemes and new technologies that help to bring down consumption in homes and offices) and the development of electric vehicles also play important roles.
On a personal level, there are several things we can do, such as adjust the thermostat, reduce the amount of rubbish we produce, wash our clothes in warm water, use low-energy light bulbs, prioritise public transport, cycle short distances and take the train for longer journeys.
As far as electrical utilities are concerned, they can have a considerable impact because of their different electricity generation systems. Companies like Iberdrola, which have made a strong commitment to renewable energies, have managed to significantly reduce their emissions. Therefore, our strategy places us among the leading energy firms with the lowest CO2 emissions per GWh produced.
