Knowing the Environmental Footprint and its advantages
We clarify the differences between Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint, Ecological Footprint and Environmental Footprint, highlighting the importance of the latter.
It is easy to get lost when we talk about so-called ‘Footprints’ for the environmental assessment of companies or organisations, products, or services.
Undoubtedly, the most common and widespread is the Carbon Footprint, but let’s see what other traces we can consider when conducting an environmental assessment and what the differences and relationships between them are.
Carbon footprint
The Carbon Footprint (HC) refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by humans when manufacturing a product or during their daily activities.
This environmental indicator measures both direct and
indirect emissions of compounds such as methane (CH4), nitrogen
oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs),
sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and, above all, the most abundant and
most contributory to global warming since 1990: carbon dioxide (CO2).
These greenhouse gases are, among others, the cause of global warming, responsible for climate change, and they occur in most of the usual activities that we carry out today.
All in all, it’s the environmental impact we
generate on the planet measured in tons of CO2 equivalent.
Water footprint
The Water Footprint or Water Footprint analysis is in a pioneering state of methodological maturation. To date, various studies have been carried out at the organizational level, mainly in companies in the agri-food field or from the academic field (Hoekstra, Mekonnen, Boulay).
Like Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint (WF) is an environmental indicator that measures the volume of freshwater (liters or cubic meters) used along the entire production chain of a consumer good or service.
At the normative level, ISO 14046 stands out as a reference framework for the water footprint as an attempt to implement its study to a greater extent and more standardized.
Ecological footprint
The Ecological Footprint is an indicator of the environmental impact generated by the human demand for existing resources on the planet’s ecosystems, relating it to the Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate its resources.
It represents the ecologically productive
land or water area (crops, pastures, forests, or aquatic ecosystems, and
ideally also the volume of air) used to generate the necessary resources and
assimilate the waste produced by each given population, according to their way
of life.
It is characterised by an important communication capacity on environmental sustainability, as it can convey to society easily understandable information on the impact of the socio-economic system on the natural environment.
Environmental footprint
The Environmental Footprint is a multi-criteria indicator of environmental impact that reflects the consequences of human and/or business activity on the environment with a whole life-cycle perspective.
Unlike all previous footprints, considered as single-criteria assessment methods, the Environmental Footprint covers much more. Not only does it measure the contribution of the product, service or organisation to climate change, water use or resource use, but according to the European Commission, it assesses environmental performance in up to 16 impact categories.
Benefits for companies to calculate their environmental footprint
Companies can find various advantages in calculating their environmental footprint, as well as for the products or services they offer:
- Support environmental management and can locate critical points from a sustainability point of view.
- It can be a cost saving tool, as it detects possibilities for improving energy efficiency, production processes or designs.
- Improves the public image and reputation of the company, positions it environmentally, improving its corporate social responsibility (CSR).
- Responds to customer, consumer, investor and/or shareholder sustainability demands.
- Can help integrate other environmental indicators, such as Carbon Footprint and Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
- Allows comparison with competition.
- Comply with legal requirements and improve their positioning to obtain public contracts and subsidies.
- As a factor of competitiveness and differentiation, it can open new markets to the company in countries with more advanced legislation and among the public more aware of sustainability.
- Attract and retain talent, improve company image among your own workers.
Ultimately, a single environmental indicator can improve competitiveness, efficiency, mitigate environmental risks, optimise opportunities, and reduce global environmental impact, contributing to the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and promoting the transition to a circular economy model.
The European Commission’s commitment to the Environmental Footprint
The European Commission (EC) has recommended the Life Cycle Analysis since 2003 and since 2012, as harmonised methodologies were developed to calculate the life cycle of companies, the concept of Environmental Footprint was developed. The Environmental Footprint was born in 2013 when the EC published the COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION of 9 April 2013 on the use of common methods for measuring and communicating the environmental performance of products and organisations.
Two years later, in 2015, the First Circular Economy Action Plan was implemented, aimed at extending circular practices between companies and society at large. Today, Europe has taken a decisive step in its commitment to the Circular Economy and sustainability as axes of its economic development with the adoption of the European Green Pact and the New Circular Economy Action Plan, which seek to evolve towards a decarbonised economy, in which sustainability is the differentiating factor.
Within the framework of the latter and in order to end Greenwashing, the EC has launched the initiative called ‘Environmental Performance of Products and Companies: Substantiating Claims’, which is the Environmental Footprint.
At Grunver Sostenibilidad we offer advice both for the calculation of the Organization Environmental Footprint and for the Product Environmental Footprint.