At UseLess Company, we calculate the carbon footprints of our customers’ organizations and products, and we assist them in their climate work. We are a company that practices what we preach, which is why we have been calculating our own carbon footprint since 2020. Through annual calculations, we can track the progress of our emissions and identify areas within our company where emissions can be reduced.
In 2023, our company’s greenhouse gas emissions consisted of purchases, energy consumption, employee commuting, remote work, and waste management (Figure 1). The electricity and heating consumed in the office are reported in Scope 2 in carbon footprint accounting. They are the only emission sources related to our own operations. Our carbon footprint in 2023 was 4,502 kgCO2e. For comparison, this is equivalent to the emissions produced by an average Finn in six months1 or by consuming 1,407 pizzas (at 3.2 kgCO2e each)2. The largest share of emissions, 54% of the total, came from purchased goods and services (category 3.1). Emissions from purchased heating energy (category 2.3) accounted for 23% of the total. Other calculated emission sources ranged between 3% and 7%. The carbon footprint per revenue in 2023 was 20 gCO2e/€. This can be thought of as the “emission factor” of the services we offer.
The biggest difference compared to the previous year was the increase in purchased goods and services. This was due to increased number of employees during the reporting year, which led to new purchases of work equipment and other employee-related acquisitions. As the number of employees grew, emissions from commuting and remote work (Category 3.7) also increased. On the other hand, there was no business travel in 2023, resulting in a 100% reduction in emissions for this category. Overall, all the changes in our carbon footprint calculations align with the changes in the company’s operations during the reporting year.
Figure 1. UseLess Company’s carbon footprint by category in 2023.
How can we reduce UseLess Company’s climate impact?
At UseLess Company, we have already implemented internal practices aimed at reducing our environmental impact. We also plan to continue following these practices:
- We prefer vegetarian food: At our events, we only offer fish or vegetarian options.
- We travel with low emissions: We favor public and light transportation, avoiding driving and especially flying.
- We buy used furniture: Currently, all our office furniture has been purchased second-hand.
Based on our 2023 carbon footprint calculation, we have identified new opportunities for emission reductions. These include switching to certified renewable energy and favoring used products in our purchases. We have previously purchased renewable district heating. Due to changes in Helen’s products, this is no longer an option for us. We rent our office at the Maria 01 campus, which houses several other offices besides ours. At the moment, Helen offers renewable district heating only if the consumption covers at least 10% of the building’s total district heating consumption. As one of our emission reduction actions, we aim to encourage other companies in our office building to join us in purchasing renewable energy so that we can meet the 10% minimum requirement.
As seen in the image above, purchased products and services account for over half of our emissions. In the future, we aim to purchase our new office supplies, such as monitors, second-hand. We also want to address the emissions resulting from the services we purchase. We plan to include carbon intensity in the criteria for service tenders, so we can better consider the climate perspective when choosing new service providers.
Next year, we will again calculate UseLess Company’s carbon footprint. Then we can see how well we have succeeded in implementing our emission reduction actions!
1. Sitra (2023). Keskivertosuomalaisen hiilijalanjälki. https://www.sitra.fi/artikkelit/keskivertosuomalaisen-hiilijalanjalki/
2. Kotipizza (n.d.). Laske päästösi pizzan mitassa. https://perfetta.fi/laske-paastosi-pizzan-mitassa/