Carbon Management Services

ASSESSING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

The first step in the development of your company’s environmental strategy is establishing a baseline for your carbon footprint assessment. This is the platform upon which to begin planning an emissions reduction strategy. With a dedication to global best practice, GCX strictly follows the greenhouse gas protocol in calculating a company’s carbon footprint. This assessment involves examining all of the company’s electricity, water, travel, fuel, waste and paper usage, and converting these into tons of carbon dioxide. The results of this assessment include a detailed report and breakdown of total emissions as well as recommendations on emissions reduction.

IMPLEMENTING CARBON-EMISSION REDUCTIONS

Before you can start reducing your emissions, we recommend that you assess your company’s carbon footprint and conduct a full energy audit. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a comprehensive approach is required, one that includes all emissions sources as well as clearly defined and communicated corporate targets. GCX will work with you and your “green team” to set targets, timelines and budgets for your reduction strategy, and also offers staff and supplier education. GCX will also help you with the implementation of your strategy, as well as monitor your progress.

EDUCATION ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOW-CARBON GOALS

Incorrect staff conduct can account for up to 15% of a company’s total carbon emissions and so is a good place to start reducing emissions. Many companies have benefited from the immediate results of launching a carbon and energy awareness campaign in their organisations. GCX offers a comprehensive education programme, focusing on carbon and energy education, with its materials suited to all staff levels, from office workers to labourers.

These materials include:

•    Interactive, internet-based presentations
•    Pocketbooks for staff
•    Lunchtime workshops
•    Monthly story boards/comics
•    Brochures and poster series
•    Signs for your facilities/offices
•    Competitions
•    Case studies

GCX also offers certified carbon footprint analyst and energy efficiency auditor courses so that you can train an in-house staff member to assist and monitor your reduction strategy.

MONITORING YOU CARBON EMISSIONS

Through monitoring your emissions, your company can also reap the benefits of media and PR opportunities as your reduction targets are realised.

GCX’s clients are required to enter into monitoring agreements so that they are aware of their own progress as well as new innovations which can aid their reduction processes

These services include:

•    Continuous monitoring:
The GCX team will automatically update your carbon footprint. It is recommended that monitoring takes place every six to 12 months.

•    Monitoring your building in real time:
GCX licenses software that interacts in real time with your buildings’ monitoring systems. It reports on variables such as electricity, heating, cooling, water, waste and weather. It also allows your facilities manager to gauge a building’s emissions in real time. This is grass roots-level, detailed information and offers you the opportunity to hold interdepartmental competitions across floors or even different buildings to see which department is making the most effort to reduce your carbon footprint. You can also use it as a promotional tool as your employees and clients can view your building’s statistics on display boards in your foyer. This is an important tool in motivating people to alter their behaviour, as well as ensure that reducing your carbon footprint continues to be a top priority in your company.

ASPIRING TO BE CARBON NEUTRAL

Being carbon neutral is not only a way to play a part in the fight against climate change, it is also good for your company. Many of GCX’s clients have realised the benefits and brand enhancements of carbon neutral status.

Carbon neutrality means that your company has offset its emissions by 100% in any given 12 months.

There are two different methods of achieving carbon neutral status:

•    Slow, but thorough:
Assess your carbon footprint and undertake an emissions reduction strategy that will help you cut emissions each year until carbon neutrality is achieved. This generally involves a significant investment to offset your final emissions which cannot be reduced through efficiency methods. The solutions through this method are dictated by your type of business, and may include wind, solar, biomass or other measures. Another option is to purchase carbon credits from a carbon project that adheres to your triple bottom line criteria.

•    Fast, but continuous:
If you require carbon neutral status immediately, but are not prepared to undertake a reduction strategy or if your company’s carbon footprint is very small, then purchasing carbon credits may be an option for you. You can achieve carbon neutral status by purchasing carbon-offset certificates equivalent to your company’s CO2 emissions. For example, if your annual carbon footprint is 10 tons, then you can achieve carbon neutrality by purchasing 10 tons of CO2 from a carbon-offset project once a year.

ONLINE CARBON CALCULATORS

Online tools, such as carbon calculators, can help engrain climate-change awareness into your company’s culture.

In order to position your company as a climate-change leader, GCX offers carbon calculators tailored to its clients’ websites. This also allows your customers the opportunity to calculate their carbon footprints and offset them. This customer-engagement tool is particularly useful for companies with high-traffic websites.

THE NEED TO ADAPT

Climate change will alter both the average weather conditions and the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events. These alterations could potentially cause damage to property, business and supply-chain interruptions, pollution-related liabilities and utility-service loses – all of which affect business and create significant financial risks.

The industries which are most at risk from the consequences of climate change include:

•    Agriculture
•    Banking
•    Insurance
•    Manufacturing
•    Mining
•    Oil and gas
•    Supply chains
•    Transport
•    Travel and tourism

Adaptation involves the adjustment of systems in order to respond to actual or expected weather events or their physical manifestation. These adjustments mitigate the harm or exploit the beneficial opportunities that result from these events. GCX offers its clients the chance to benefit from the opportunity to reduce the risks posed by climate change through insight into its impact on sectors, industries and countries.