Assess:
How green is my business today?
Many companies begin their green journey by focusing on their core internal operations and processes. Typically, a baseline is established through several operational assessments called footprints.
As a starting point, many companies begin by determining their carbon footprint, which represents the amount of carbon (directly or indirectly) used to run their businesses and/or produce their products and services. But in reality, there are many environmental footprints that can be developed and/or calculated, including:
- Water usage footprints
- Solid waste footprints
- Energy footprints (e.g., electricity, natural gas, and heating oil)
- Environmental footprints (e.g., airborne, waterborne, and solid waste emissions generated as byproducts from the resources required to run and support the business)
ICF has consolidated this wide array of environmental sustainability factors into three simple assessments:
- Energy Footprint: defines the energy resources that companies consume
- Environmental Footprint: defines the resulting environmental impacts, either directly or indirectly, including but not limited to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, hazardous air pollutants, water usage, solid waste production, recycling programs, etc.
- Data Tracking Capabilities Assessment: helps companies understand their current ability to track and report energy and environmental data
Energy Footprint
An energy footprint is the assessment and analysis of a company's current energy consumption. This includes all the electricity needed to run the company's offices and facilities, including leased or owned office headquarters space, retail space, manufacturing plants and facilities, distribution centers, and any other real estate associated with basic business operations. This assessment also includes non-electric energy used to heat and cool the buildings, including natural gas, heating oil, and other fuels used to maintain the buildings.
The assessment looks at consumption as a function of hours and activities and provides a baseline footprint (consumption by month for a period of time), as well as tactical recommendations around major opportunities for improvement. These recommendations can range from simple actions, such as replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), to complex process redesign activities that streamline energy consumption during peak hours.
In the end, a scorecard and list of potential recommendations is delivered. Typically, if energy efficiency is not being managed at a corporate or enterprise level across a company's portfolio of locations, ICF energy assessment recommendations result in monthly energy costs reduction of 5 to 7 percent, though some clients have seen as much as a 15 percent savings.
Environmental Footprint
An environmental footprint incorporates the energy footprint as a key input into determining the company's greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory or carbon footprint. In addition to the company's overall green strategy, the environmental footprint may also include business travel; company events; employee commutes; air, water, and solid waste emissions; recycling; and other key factors that contribute to a company's environmental impact.
The end result is a scorecard that outlines a company's overall environmental impact, with strategic recommendations for performance improvement. Often, these recommendations can come at no or very low cost and/or, in the case of GHG emissions, can be offset potentially through the monetization of carbon credits.
Environmental Data Tracking Capability Assessment
Lastly, as part of the energy and environmental assessments, it is important to consider a company's data tracking, management, and reporting capabilities. The ability to effectively manage, demonstrate, and substantiate reductions in energy use and environmental impact relies completely on a company's ability to accurately collect, track, and report energy and environmental data.
Typically, many companies do not have energy and/or environmental data collection processes or tracking procedures in place, making the first set of footprints more difficult and time consuming. ICF can provide recommendations for how to more easily collect and report energy and environmental data, both now and in the future.
The cost and time required to conduct these assessments vary greatly based on the size and scope of an organization.