An e-bike or an SUV? A steak or a locally sourced salad? Proper loft insulation or just turn the heating up? Most of us know how to make environmentally friendly decisions in our everyday life, but in the business world it can be confusing and complicated.
For instance, there are emissions from direct operations like running a factory, but what about the pollution caused by suppliers and customers? The dominant greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, but what about methane, nitrous oxide and refrigerant gases?
This is where FutureTracker comes in. It takes away the complexity so that carbon accounting can be straightforward. It’s not just a carbon calculator, it’s a serious piece of software that can transform organisations.
We always stress that you don’t need to be a computer scientist or have a PhD in environmental studies to be able to use FutureTracker. The software is complex, but for the user it’s simple and intuitive. Anyone can get to grips with it, thereby taking away any need to employ expensive consultants. At its most basic, FutureTracker is a list of questions. The difficult part has been done for you by our team and tech developers. There are drop-down menus where you can easily select from multiple fuel sources, activities, materials, and multiple countries.
Most businesses already keep data on how much electricity and gas they use each year, how many miles their vehicles drive, how many flights they take, and the lifespan of products. Converting this data manually into Co2 emissions would be very labour intensive and tedious. FutureTracker easily crunches all the data with audit-grade precision. It is the most comprehensive and truthful way of understanding and managing a carbon footprint.
The first step of the process is to measure your Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
Scope 1 covers emissions from direct operations, like running a factory. It includes fumes emitted from gas or oil boilers, backup generators, company vehicles, chemical manufacturing processes, and refrigerant gases from air-conditioners. FutureTrack divides Scope 1 emissions into four categories: stationary combustion, mobile combustion, process emissions, and fugitive emissions.
Next are the Scope 2 emissions, which are energy-related. For instance, when you buy electricity from a third-party supplier the emissions are attributable to you as Scope 2 emissions.
Scope 3 includes all indirect emissions not covered in Scope 2. Scope 3 data is the hardest to collect, and under the current guidance of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, it is not mandatory when reporting a carbon footprint. FutureTracker includes eight categories of Scope 3 emissions that are the most relevant and important. Learn more about measuring your footprint
After you have entered the data and FutureTracker has calculated your business’ carbon footprint, there are further modules to explore targets and commitments, and manage sustainability initiatives.
It would be disingenuous to suggest that this part of the effort is simple. It requires buy-in from all levels of the company, particularly from the board. However, once carbon emissions are quantified it becomes a lot easier to see how they can be reduced. The difference between effective actions and ritual displays is more obvious.
Furthermore, with FutureTracker, you don't need to hire a consultant to tell you how to reduce your emissions. Instead, we provide you with an extensive library of data-driven sustainability initiatives to choose from and help you to create a net-zero plan. Ample video and written guidance are also provided to you every step of the way, so you never have to worry about what to do next.
Everyone’s pledging to go carbon neutral these days, but when you look behind the commitments there’s sometimes not a lot of substance. Businesses may have good intentions to match their words with deeds, but the reality is that the only way they will get there is with next-generation technology like FutureTracker.
To find out more about how FutureTracker can transform your organisation, book a demo here.
