Are you aiming for climate neutrality in your company?
In general, the term climate neutrality is not legally protected. A company is usually considered to be climate neutral if all corporate activities do not result in any greenhouse gas emissions or all emissions are compensated by corresponding projects. However, offsetting emissions is often the subject of critical debate. In any case, the primary goal should always be to reduce and ultimately avoid greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality.
Greenhouse gas balancing as a starting point
The basis for calculating the climate neutrality of a company is the greenhouse gas balance. This is used to identify the sources of emissions and to derive and evaluate measures for reducing them. GHG accounting is carried out either at product level (PCF = Product Carbon Footprint) or at company level (CCF = Corporate Carbon Footprint). Depending on the scope of the balance, only locally produced CO2 emissions are considered, or emissions from upstream and downstream value chains are also taken into account.
Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3
Important to know: A distinction is made between direct and indirect emissions, the so-called scopes.
- Scope 1 comprises direct emissions. They originate from sources that are within the company's control area. Indirect emissions are outside the company's control. They can be divided into Scope 2 and Scope 3.
- Scope 2 considers the purchase of grid-based energy sources.
- Scope3 includes all other upstream or downstream actions that are linked to the company or its products.
These standards are relevant for you
But how do you lead your company to carbon neutrality? You can use several standards to guide you in determining your corporate carbon footprint (CCF) and product carbon footprint (PCF). Most notably, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG -Protocol), ISO 14067 and ISO 14064 are referenced as the most common standards for GHG accounting and preparing a reporting statement or certificate. Many accreditation bodies also offer carbon neutrality certification. These are mostly guided by the PAS 2060 standard and are expected to refer to ISO 14068 in the future. While other standards tend not to contain detailed requirements and descriptions for the definition of climate neutrality in a company, this gap is to be closed by ISO 14068.
Accurate greenhouse gas balancing with IngSoft InterWatt
Especially for the area of greenhouse gas balancing, the software IngSoft InterWatt, which was developed as energy management software at its core, offers you numerous possibilities. Use the options for recording and calculating your greenhouse gas emissions. For example, define your energy mix individually and store your own emission values. In IngSoft InterWatt you can record, link and take into account all relevant greenhouse gases.
We accompany you on your way to a climate-neutral company.