In June, we announced our efforts toward sustainability by performing an organization-wide carbon accounting analysis. Our approach includes a yearly carbon accounting analysis encompassing Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions into our reduction plan. By examining the carbon costs associated with each area of focus, we can identify where to improve and make meaningful changes that contribute to a greener future.
To learn more about the steps we are taking for our carbon accounting analysis, read Taking Strides Towards Sustainability: Our Carbon Accounting Journey.
We’ve just received the results of our 2023 carbon accounting analysis, and we’re excited to announce a 35.23% decrease in our carbon emissions from 2019.
Scope 3 Emissions
The major contributing factor to the decrease in our carbon emissions came from reducing our scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions focus on indirect value chain emissions. These encompass emissions generated throughout our organization’s entire value chain, such as supply chains, materials in buildings, purchased goods and services, and employee commuting.
In four years, we decreased our Scope 3 emissions from 612.88 metric tons (MT) to 392.79 MT – a 220.09 MT decrease. This change is largely due to limiting our:
- Business travel, including air travel emissions (a change of 264.53 MT)
- Employee commuting (a change of 46.38 MT)
- Upstream transportation and distribution (a change of 4.9 MT)
What’s Next for our Carbon Accounting Journey?
In 2023, our biggest scope 3 emissions were purchased goods and services. As we continue our efforts to reduce our emissions in 2024 and beyond, we are targeting this area to make the greatest positive impact.
To minimize our carbon emissions from purchased goods and services, we are reevaluating our procurement processes to source sustainable office supplies and equipment, including snacks and goods. One of the interesting learnings from this evaluation is the impact of shipping on our carbon footprint metrics; therefore, we are exploring ways to use shipping costs more effectively and efficiently to minimize the number of deliveries to our office from distribution centers.
We are also analyzing our services to get a reduction plan in place for the future, including our operations in payroll, accounting, legal, and consulting. With some of these service functions being outsourced, we are performing an inventory on our services and seeing how they can be streamlined, scaled back, and renegotiated.
While the purchased goods and services category leaves the most room to make a positive impact in the future, we are committed to continuing our reduction efforts across all scope 2 and 3 categories. To read more about the strategic initiatives that inform our comprehensive reduction plan, read Taking Strides Towards Sustainability: Our Carbon Accounting Journey.