Entrepreneurs all over the world – including Poland – decide to calculate their carbon footprint for various reasons. Currently, it is the market that forces them to act like this. Entrepreneurs, cooperating with international companies, are even obliged to calculate the carbon footprint for their activities or products. Most Polish companies learn about the existence of this indicator from their Western contractors who send inquiries asking about the carbon footprint of the product. A Polish company, wishing to participate in the tender, must therefore calculate the value of the carbon footprint for a specific product. There is also an increasingly noticeable trend in companies showing that the value of the carbon footprint of a given product is more important than the price at which the product can be purchased.
The second important reason for calculating the carbon footprint is the compulsory reporting to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). It is an international not-for-profit organization that has created a global system for companies and cities to calculate, disclose, manage and share their comprehensive information on environmental activities. CDP operates in all sectors, motivating entrepreneurs to pro-environmental activities and sharing achievements in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
SIG – Carbon Footprint consists of the following members of SPCleantech:
- Carbon Footprint Foundation
- IT for Carbon Footprint Foundation
- NordicHouse
- Onteon
The group leader is Marta Seweryn from Carbon Footprint Foundation.
If you are interested in joining the group, please contact j.kahl@spcleantech.com
The carbon footprint is a calculation of the total greenhouse gas emissions during the full life cycle of a functional unit / entity, which may be, inter alia, company, product, service, event e.g. conference, air travel, etc., city, country, private person.
Each time the carbon footprint is counted is a unique process. Each company or organization is distinguished by a unique structure, processes or specificity of activity, and calculating the carbon footprint is based on this uniqueness. It is not possible to create a universal calculator that will fit any type of business, therefore we use an individual approach to each project.
The average carbon footprint of a Pole is approx. 10 tonnes per year, of which CO2 accounts for approx. 8 tonnes, and other greenhouse gases, such as methane or nitrous oxide, the remaining 2 tonnes. The atmosphere is treated as open free sewage for chimneys and exhaust pipes. Unfortunately, there are consequences of this. In order to avoid a climate disaster, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced quickly.
The Carbon Footprint Foundation has developed its own CO2 emissions calculator, which can be found at:
1.0 – identifying emissions in daily life
2.0 – dedicated to the office environment
what distinguishes them from others available on the Polish market?
The estimates are based on Polish living and economic conditions. So the results are most relevant to our lifestyle. @Emilia Kozikowska co-author.
It is worth using a personal CO2 emission calculator, because it will help in inventorying our emissions and show what can be done to reduce them. Identify the greatest threats and focus on reducing them. The important thing is not to do the 1,000 things that are of tertiary importance, but to do the things that can really make a difference.
You should be aware that you will not reduce your carbon footprint to zero, but it is worth doing everything that can minimize it as much as possible.