Promotion of sustainability by quantifying and reducing the carbon footprint: New practices for organizations

Abstract

This study has the objective of creating the relationship quantify-reduce-promote of the level of pollutants, emitted by companies, and society and governments. This relationship can be extended to assess what is emitted by society itself. Processes, products and even services that are environmentally friendly will be identified and this will help define critical aspects and those deserving special attention. Quantification of the environmental impacts is the first step to deepen knowledge on the activities of a company, directed to the reduction of these impacts. As a consequence of the improvement of operational and economic results there is a simultaneous improvement in the image of the company (how society perceives the company), created in function of the reduction of the pollution generated. Promotion of this information is already utilized by large companies, especially those involved with trading in financial markets. Until recently, organizations and companies had the vision that the environment and sustainable development were issues and risk factors. However the development of a generalized environmental conscience created a demand for products that are more environmentally-friendly (with less associated environmental impacts), for which there are great advances and developments in the application of eco-efficiency principles by industries and designers. Nowadays, these “issues” are seen as opportunities, as possibilities for growth and improvement of efficiency. Basically, eco-efficiency is doing more with less: better production, utilizing less resources. But eco-efficiency does not limit itself to simply achieving energy efficiency, it also stimulates creativity and innovation in the search for the best way to carry out activities. The search for eco-efficiency does not presuppose the complete elimination of the environmental impacts generated by modern society, rather it aims to bring these impacts to lower degrees, which are more compatible with current environmental conscience levels. In this way it is still possible to establish sustainable growth in Brazilian companies through the implementation of public politics and creation of awareness in entrepreneurs and society. Companies can generate non-operational revenue, achieving relevant volumes, from the negotiation of their processed/treated residues and also from the sale of carbon credits, generated from the elaboration of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. In this way, the reduction in the levels of pollutant emissions has repercussions beyond the environmental benefits, allowing for economic benefits to be realized, enabling the sustainable growth of organizations. This study has the objective of creating the relationship quantify-reduce-promote of the level of pollutants, emitted by companies, and society and governments. This relationship can be extended to assess what is emitted by society itself. Processes, products and even services that are environmentally friendly will be identified and this will help define critical aspects and those deserving special attention. Quantification of the environmental impacts is the first step to deepen knowledge on the activities of a company, directed to the reduction of these impacts. As a consequence of the improvement of operational and economic results there is a simultaneous improvement in the image of the company (how society perceives the company), created in function of the reduction of the pollution generated. Promotion of this information is already utilized by large companies, especially those involved with trading in financial markets. Therefore, in a proactive and positive manner, good practice in environmental education will be stimulated at the same time an environmental conscience is built responsibly. The relationship quantify-reduce-promote has a strong social bias, as the minimization of environmental impacts benefits all Brazilian citizens and also empowers the consumer, who will be able to select the least aggressive option when consulting the environmental impacts associated with a product, process or service. This study is part of a wider project, which aims at utilizing environmental information generated by Life Cycle Assessment to help businesses and organizations quantify their environmental burden, carry out actions to reduce this burden, and promote this behavior as well as the results to improve social image while also realizing economic benefits due to improved energy/process efficiency and lower consumption of resources.