Was sind "klimaneutrale Unternehmen"?

Procurri was certified as a Carbon Neutral and CO²e Reduced Organization by the Carbon Neutral Standard in 2022, and this demonstrates brilliantly the focus the company places on sustainability: through keeping ITAD ethical and the distribution of recycled and refurbished hardware in place of newly manufactured pieces.

Although Procurri is currently the only organization in our particular market space to achieve a carbon neutral accreditation, there are a growing number of carbon neutral companies across a variety of industries worldwide. But what does this mean? Let us explain the basics…

Was bedeutet es eigentlich, ein klimaneutrales Unternehmen zu sein?

Im Allgemeinen kann jedes Unternehmen von sich behaupten, kohlenstoffneutral zu sein, wenn es die Menge an Kohlendioxid, die es in die Atmosphäre abgibt, mit der Menge ausgleicht, die es absorbiert oder entfernt. Dies wird als "Netto-Null-Kohlenstoffemissionen" bezeichnet, da die Gesamtemissionen auf Null reduziert werden; wenn ein Unternehmen jedoch überhaupt keinen Kohlenstoff ausstößt, kann es als "Netto-Null-Kohlenstoff" bezeichnet werden.

In theory: Carbon Emissions Produced = Carbon Emissions Removed or Offset.

Es ist möglich, wenn auch selten, dass Unternehmen sich auf andere Treibhausgasemissionen (THG) konzentrieren, aber Kohlenstoff ist der häufigste, da er über 76 % der gesamten schädlichen Emissionen in die Atmosphäre ausmacht.

In den meisten Fällen kompensieren klimaneutrale Unternehmen die von ihnen produzierten Emissionen durch natürliche Abscheidungsmethoden und den Kauf von Emissionsgutschriften, um gezielt in klimaneutrale oder sogar klimapositive Initiativen und Organisationen zu investieren.

What’s the difference between Carbon Neutrality and Net Zero?

Despite being different measures, being ‘Carbon Neutral’ and meeting ‘Net Zero’ are often confused with one another.

Net Zero can be defined as achieving no net increase in greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. To meet this status, an organization has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and balanced off any remaining emissions by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

The differences can be summarised as below:

Net zero is increasingly being viewed as the more rigorous climate target.

The Categorisation of a Company’s Carbon Emissions

Most organizations categorise their carbon emissions into three ‘scopes’. Each are defined, measured and reported separately.

Scope 1 Emissions: Direct

These are emissions created directly from company-owned sources. This includes emissions from:

• Manufacturing facilities
• Company vehicles
• On-site fuel combustion.

Scope 2 Emissions: Indirect

These are emissions created indirectly from energy purchased from elsewhere. This includes emissions from:

• On-site electricity usage
• On-site heating
• On-site cooling.

Scope 3 Emissions: Value Chain

These are indirect emissions created throughout the value chain in order for the organization to operate. This includes emissions from:

• The activities of the business’ supplier
• Business travel (in non-company vehicles)
• Employee commuting (in non-company vehicles)
• The transportation of products (in non-company vehicles)
• Customer use of products.

Scope 3 emissions are usually the largest of all three scopes, and can be the most difficult to measure due to their extremely indirect and often unpredictable nature.

Wie werden klimaneutrale Unternehmen akkreditiert?

There’s no one set accreditation body for the certification of carbon neutrality, but generally speaking, the emissions data is public and so some research into an organization’s claims can help ascertain their accuracy.

This said, the calculations behind carbon emissions can be extremely complex and so often require specialist knowledge to work on. This is why in order to ensure a company’s carbon neutrality, it’s always recommended to establish that a genuine certification body has granted their accreditation; such as the Carbon Footprint Standard. A proper accrediting body will have analysed a company’s operations, reporting, and governance to determine their accuracy and to suggest areas for improvement and potential.

How to Evaluate Companies’ Carbon Neutrality Claims

Given that there is no one set accreditation body for carbon neutrality, it may be that independent investigation is required to assert and evaluate their authenticity and credibility.

To best verify the carbon neutrality and related sustainability claims as accurate, organizations and consumers should investigate into:

• Public sustainability reports
• Science-based climate targets
• Detailed emissions disclosures
• Third-party verification and independent certifications.

If access is permitted to an individual or team within the organization that know and understand their emissions reporting, it may be helpful to ask:

• How much of the emissions reported have been reduced versus the amount offset?
• Are Scope 3 emissions included in the reporting?
• Is the organization’s progress independently verified?
• What targets are in place for the future?

Wie wirkt sich die Zusammenarbeit mit Carbon Neutral Companies auf die Scope-3-Berichterstattung eines Unternehmens aus?

Unabhängig davon, ob ein Unternehmen eine Zertifizierung als "klimaneutral" anstrebt oder nicht, sollte es in seiner gesamten Lieferkette bewährte Verfahren der Nachhaltigkeit anwenden. Das bedeutet, dass sie bei allen Aktivitäten mit möglichst vielen klimaneutralen, ethisch oder nachhaltig orientierten Organisationen zusammenarbeiten sollten. Die Zusammenarbeit mit einem kohlenstoffneutralen Unternehmen wie Procurri ermöglicht es Unternehmen, unsere nachhaltigen IT-Lösungen zu nutzen und bietet ihnen die Möglichkeit, ihre Anlagen in völlig kohlenstoffemissionsfreien Einrichtungen zu verarbeiten, wodurch ihre Scope-3-Berichterstattung verbessert wird.

Learn more on how Procurri can help improve your ESG reporting: just get in touch to talk through your operations and requirements!