How to calculate your carbon footprint according to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol?

In today’s world, understanding and managing your carbon footprint is crucial for businesses aiming to achieve sustainability goals.  

As global awareness of environmental issues continues to rise, businesses are recognizing the need to adopt sustainable practices. By effectively monitoring and reducing their carbon emissions, companies contribute to the ongoing effort to tackle climate change. 

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) constitute a group of gases contributing to global warming and climate change. There are seven gases covered by the GHG Protocol which are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). 

GHG emissions are calculated as CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) using the relevant 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP100). 

1. Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) encompasses all GHG emissions of a company based on a period of time. 

2. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) refers to all GHG emissions of a given product along its lifecycle 

The product carbon footprint should always be associated with a scope or boundary, the most common being:  

• Cradle-to-gate: mostly used for business-to-business (B2B) products. This measures the total GHG emissions from the extraction of raw materials through to the products manufacture, up to the factory gate (i.e., before it is transported to the customers). 

• Cradle-to-grave: mostly used for business-to-consumer (B2C) products. This measures the total GHG emissions from the extraction of raw materials through to the products manufacture, distribution, use and, eventually, disposal. 

The GHG Protocol provides standards and guidelines for accounting and reporting GHG emissions for businesses, governments, and other organizations. This is developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The GHG Protocol divides the emissions of a company in 3 categories: 

• Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions originating from sources owned or controlled by the company. It includes company facilities and company vehicles. 
   
• Scope 2: Energy-related indirect GHG emissions originating from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling.  
   
• Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions from sources that are not owned or controlled by the company. Scope 3 is divided in two categories:  
  • Upstream activities include purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel and energy related activities, upstream transportation and distribution, waste generated in operations, business travel, employee commuting and leased assets.  
  • Downstream activities include downstream transportation and distribution, processing, use and end-of-life treatment of sold products, leased assets, franchises and investments. 

By adopting the GHG Protocol, businesses can create accurate GHG inventories, identify key areas for emission reductions, and develop strategies to achieve sustainability targets. 

For companies like Lhoist, which operate in the lime, dolime, and minerals industry, calculating their carbon footprint is an essential step towards reducing their environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices. 

What is Lhoist doing to reduce its carbon footprint? 

At Lhoist, we aim to continue our efforts towards sustainability and are working on several initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. The first one is fuel flexibility and efficiency. Where possible, Lhoist focuses on using renewable fuels, transitioning to biomass, and upgrading plants and kilns to be more efficient. This helps lower Lhoist CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion and supports Lhoist decarbonization efforts. 

Purchasing electricity from renewable sources is another priority in Lhoist journey to reduce emissions. Besides that, projects such as photovoltaic farms are being developed at several of Lhoist production sites. 

Lhoist is also working on the development of a variety of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects to reduce Lhoist CO₂ footprint in the coming years. 

_{Source: https://ghgprotocol.org/}