Measuring Impact: How to Track Your Company’s Carbon Footprint
As more people and businesses think about how their actions affect the Earth, companies are starting to look closely at their carbon footprints. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases your business produces—mainly through things like energy use, travel, and the products you buy. Keeping track of your carbon footprint is one of the easiest ways to start moving in a planet-positive direction.
So, how can you start measuring it? First, take a look at your main sources of emissions. These are usually split into three types:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from things your company owns or controls, like company vehicles or on-site heating.
- Scope 2: Emissions from the electricity or energy your business uses.
- Scope 3: These are a bit trickier—they include emissions from things like business travel, shipping, or even the goods and services you buy.
A good starting point is collecting data from your bills and reports. For example, look at how much electricity, gas, or fuel your business uses each month. Keep records of travel, especially by plane or car, and think about the things you order. Do they come from far away? Are they made in ways that use a lot of energy?
There are free tools online that help you plug in this data and give you an idea of your company’s total emissions. They won’t be exact, but they’ll give you a baseline you can use to make changes. Some bigger companies even work with specialists to measure everything more closely, but small businesses can do a lot on their own.
Once you’ve gathered some basic info, you can set goals to lower your footprint. Maybe that means switching to renewable energy, cutting down on business travel, or choosing suppliers with better environmental practices.
The most important thing is to start. You don’t need to be perfect; even small steps can make a big difference over time. Keeping track of your numbers helps you see your progress and stay motivated.
Remember, caring for the planet is a team effort. By measuring your company’s impact, you’re not just helping the environment—you’re also building a business that people can trust and support.