Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) - The CO2 footprint of your organization
What is a Corporate Carbon Footprint?
The Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) is the co2 footprint for entire companies. It is made up of the direct and indirect emissions of the entire organisation: directly in the company, at a location or part of the company.
Direct emissions include those from the company's own power plant or vehicle fleet, as well as those caused by industrial processes (for example, cement or lime production).
Indirect emissions outside the company boundaries include, for example, travel by employees or from the customer area, but also transport and others.
For whom is the Corporate Carbon Footprint relevant?
Responsibility for environmental protection affects all industries. Emission-intensive sectors such as energy production or heavy industry (steel, aluminium, etc.), for which specific measures have already been defined in the climate package, play a special role.
The focus is also on companies whose products are supplied directly to end consumers (B2C), e.g. food or car manufacturers and the public sector.
The food industry and trade in particular can no longer ignore the topic of GHG accounting and climate neutrality. In the B2B sector it plays an increasingly important role for the awarding of contracts, in the B2C sector it can influence the public image, sales figures and thus market shares.
Why calculate a Corporate Carbon Footprint?
How much greenhouse gases (GHG) does your organisation or company produce? Do you meet your own climate protection requirements? Is your community a climate pioneer?
The Corporate Carbon Footprint is an effective tool for proactively addressing the wishes and expectations of your customers, business partners and investors regarding your organisation's activities. You learn in which areas you can increase your efficiency regarding GHG emissions and become active for climate protection - and receive a resilient basis for your corporate communication.
What are the so-called scopes of the Corporate Carbon Footprint?
The CCF comprises 3 scopes:
- Sope 1: Emissions occurring directly in the company, at a location or part of the company (e.g. from the use of the company's own power plant or vehicle fleet).
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions caused by a company's external energy supply (e.g. through the purchase of electricity and heat).
- Scope 3: Direct emissions along the value chain (e.g. business trips, manufacture of supplier products, transport)
You can find more information on our information page climate-neutrality.com.
What are the benefits of the Corporate Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint serves as a management tool for the implementation of GHG and cost reduction plans. In addition, a clear climate strategy for mitigating global warming can be developed based on the corporate carbon footprint.
- External verification of the GHG footprint ensures reporting, improves reputation and serves as proof of the credibility of your climate management.
- A detailed review of the completeness and methodology used to obtain the data will provide you with a robust basis to identify your actual GHG sources
- Use your accredited certificate according to ISO 14064-1 or GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard as a confidence-building measure for your PR and marketing purposes.
In our DAkkS-accredited certification system includes all globally valid accreditation rules. This ensures the international recognition of your certification. In addition, you benefit from the following advantages:
In a GUTcert audit you receive valuable input beyond the mere confirmation of conformity, because our auditors have great expertise in their field and extensive knowledge of the industry.
Do you operate globally? So do we: in association with our parent company, the AFNOR Group, we can carry out major international projects on a centralised basis with over 1,800 auditors worldwide.
External verification by an independent body increases the credibility of GHG balances. The overriding requirement is that the verification is complete, independent and without conflicts of interest, i.e. that the verifier has not been involved in any way in the preparation of your GHG balance.
Accredited certification bodies are regularly controlled by the accreditation bodies of the European states, in Germany this is the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS). Non-accredited certificates should be questioned very critically!
How much does a verification of the Corporate Carbon Footprint cost?
We calculate the cost of verifying your CCF individually depending on the size and complexity of the company, the number of production sites, the amount of data required and the product portfolio.
Check which requirements already exist to integrate your 'climate reporting' into an existing system, e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 or EMAS: Much of the required data may already have been collected as part of an energy management system.
If you want to balance the greenhouse gases of your company, you basically have the choice between two established standards:
ISO 14064-1: Greenhouse gases - Part 1: Specification with guidance for the quantitative determination and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals at the organizational level.
In doing so, ISO 14164-1 defines the principles and requirements for quantifying and reporting GHG emissions and removals. This includes the design, development, management, reporting and review of an organization's GHG inventory.
GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
Own greenhouse gas programs and individual standards:
If you have developed your own calculation methodology for your GHG accounting, which is explained in a transparent and comprehensible way, this can also be used as a reference standard for certification.
Is integration in or combination with other standards possible?
We are happy to combine our verification of your GHG balance with existing management systems (e.g. ISO 14001 or ISO 50001) or existing legal reporting requirements (e.g. emissions trading or GRI standard).
Our auditors have multiple qualifications and can often audit several standards at the same time. Take advantage of the synergies.
Your data and calculations as well as your measures are checked by an independent body - on the basis of your documents and on site. If identified deficiencies are demonstrably remedied, you will receive a certificate for your GHG balance or climate neutrality.
Selection of the verification body
- All accredited verification bodies are listed on the website of the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS).
- Industry knowledge and experience should be sought directly from the verification body.
- The verifier requires information on the scope and complexity of the GHG inventory for the bid, for example:
- Number of sites
- Description of activities
- Description of GHG sources
- Overview of emissions from Scope 1-3
Preparation for verification
- The test programme (procedure, dates, required documents) is jointly agreed.
- The verification body performs a strategy and risk analysis regarding the methodology and framework of your GHG balance.
- You will then receive the audit plan as an agenda for the verification.
Carrying out the verification
- The auditors require insight into the calculation methodology of your GHG balance sheet, including
- organizational & operational reporting boundaries
- Recorded greenhouse gas emissions from Scope 1-3
- Emission factors
- Reference values
- Uncertainties
- The data supplied is subjected to a check.
- An on-site inspection of the facilities will take place at the selected sites.
- The verifier's auditors then summarise their findings.
Result of the verification
- You will receive a test report with a summary of the findings, notes and recommendations for verification.
- In addition, the verifier will issue you with a final verification certificate.
- Depending on the verification body, you will receive additional verification marks for your communication (internal and external) - these can be placed, for example, on vehicles, product packaging, documents, advertising material (roll-ups, banners) or your website in order to make your commitment to climate protection directly visible to employees, customers and stakeholders.