How long does it take to conduct a carbon footprint assessment ?
Summary
The time required to complete a carbon footprint assessment varies depending on several factors, such as the size of the company, its sector of activity, and the involvement of a specialist. Generally, this can take between 5 days (for a small service company) and 60 days (for a large company with multiple sites). Data collection is the most time-consuming phase, but methods such as using aggregated databases or accounting reports can speed up the process, although their reliability may be limited.
Start your decarbonized future in good hands
INDEX
% de l'article lu
Introduction
Whether they do it to comply with legal requirements or out of ecological commitment, business owners often wonder how long it takes to complete a carbon footprint assessment. There is no single answer to this question. It depends on several factors, including the size of the company, its sector of activity, and whether or not the organization hires a specialist. However, it is estimated that the time needed to complete a carbon footprint assessment ranges from 5 working days for one person (for a service company with an office and fewer than 20 employees) to 60 working days for larger companies with multiple sites.
The duration of a carbon footprint assessment varies depending on the size and sector of the company
The minimum data to gather
The value of a carbon footprint assessment largely lies in its completeness. Indeed, the exercise of calculating a company’s carbon footprint must include all sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the business.
These emission sources notably consist of:
Emissions generated by upstream suppliers,
Emissions generated downstream (transport, product sales, etc.),
Emissions linked to employees' commuting,
Emissions related to the end use of the product by the customer,
The full lifecycle up to its end of life and potential recycling.
In other words, activity data from the company must be gathered across the three scopes of a carbon footprint assessment: direct emissions, emissions from energy consumption, and indirect emissions. The more processes, employees, and operational sites the company has, the longer it will take to collect and analyze the data.
The case of industrial companies
For industrial companies, the task is even more complex and time-consuming than for service companies. Indeed, their carbon footprint must cover all operational processes, from the sourcing of raw materials to the finished product, including the various transformation phases. This generally requires the collection and analysis of data from a wide range of suppliers.
“
Using an experienced specialist can speed up the process and ensure its reliability
A simplified data collection reduces the duration of the carbon footprint assessment.
Since data collection is the most time-consuming phase, an optimal process must be implemented to efficiently gather information and reduce the time required to complete the carbon footprint assessment.
Data collection: the most time-consuming phase
A significant part of the carbon footprint consultant's work involves gathering the necessary information for the carbon footprint assessment. They dedicate a lot of time to this task because the information is scattered across all levels of the company.
In fact, the data needed to establish a carbon footprint has not previously been used, so no process exists to automatically collect, harmonize, and centralize it. Currently, this activity is mostly manual.
Shortcuts are possible but reduce the reliability of the carbon footprint assessment
Aggregated databases
Some organizations use databases such as S&P or CDP, which offer aggregated data collected from thousands of companies to determine the amount of CO2 emitted based on revenue, product, or asset in a given sector of activity.
While this solution may seem appealing at first glance, it has two major drawbacks:
The cost to access this data is very high,
There is a lack of transparency around the source and calculation method of the information,
The data may not necessarily be applicable to the sector of the company in question.
Using the accounting report
The accounting report can also serve as a basis for quickly calculating a carbon footprint. Since it is mandatory and standardized, the accounting framework is easy and quick to use as a starting point. In fact, there are CO2 conversion factors based on expenses, for example, a certain amount of CO2 per thousand euros spent on marketing.
However, the accounting report proves to be very unreliable. Using it implies relying on expenditures rather than GHG-emitting activities. As a result, the carbon footprint may omit significant CO2 emissions, and the CO2 conversions carry a high degree of uncertainty.
Conducting a carbon footprint assessment as quickly as possible
Hiring an experienced specialist and giving them access to the data
The time required to complete a carbon footprint assessment is shorter when it is carried out by an experienced professional who knows how to find, analyze, and convert data into CO2 equivalent. Even if the external expert does not collect the data themselves, they are able to guide employees through the process.
Training an internal person to use carbon footprint software
Even better, it is possible to train an internal person who will be responsible for collecting the data, processing it using carbon footprint software, and regularly updating the carbon footprint assessment.
This is also an opportunity for the company to implement processes to automate data collection internally and from suppliers.
It should be noted that an external consultant can also train a company employee to collect the data and use the carbon footprint software.
Explore the concept of the carbon footprint in depth by clicking on this link, or read our complete overview of carbon footprint calculators here.
Opt for a simplified carbon footprint assessment
The simplified carbon footprint assessment is a greenhouse gas emissions measurement tool designed for small and medium-sized businesses or organizations seeking an initial estimate of their carbon impact. It focuses only on the main sources of emissions to provide a quick and accessible assessment. It is aimed at those who want to start a decarbonization process without mobilizing significant resources, while still obtaining reliable results to guide their actions toward effectively reducing their carbon footprint.
Reduce your company's carbon footprint by booking a demo with the D-Carbonize experts.