Today's businesses are keenly aware of how their activities affect the environment. Many are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, or the amount of greenhouse gases they release. Some have turned to technological tools like carbon removal projects and energy-efficient rugged mini PCs to aid them. Others are looking at AI computers to help meet environmental goals.
- What Is a Carbon Footprint? Definition, Scope & Business Impact
- Why Reducing Carbon Footprint Benefits Businesses
- Five Practical Steps to Reduce Your Business's Carbon Footprint
- AI in Carbon Reduction: Opportunities, Risks & Controversies
What Is a Carbon Footprint? Definition, Scope & Business Impact
A carbon footprint is how much carbon dioxide (CO₂) is released into the atmosphere by human activity. It is also known as the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint, since other gases, like carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, are usually released along with the CO₂.
The carbon footprint from businesses comes from a variety of activities.
- Power plants burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil) to produce electricity and heat.
- Manufacturing plants and mining equipment directly or indirectly (via electricity) using fossil fuels to power industrial activities.
- Gas and diesel-powered autos, trucks, planes, and ships moving from one place to another.
- Cement and steel-making companies, whose industrial and chemical processes release massive amounts of CO2.
- Building operations like heating, cooling, and electrical use, all of which directly or indirectly increase GHG.
Why Reducing Carbon Footprint Benefits Businesses
Reducing one's carbon footprint is not easy, especially in the short term. For many businesses, it can be costly both in time and money. Installing a more energy-efficient HVAC system can put a business back between $8,500 to $21,000 per system.
The benefits, though, can be substantial, especially when viewed from a long-term perspective.
- Lower energy bills through adopting energy-efficient practices and technologies, such as the previously mentioned HVAC system.
- Less waste generation of paper and plastic products through digital alternatives like business tablets.
- Better ability to handle climate-change issues like rising energy costs, extreme weather events, and supply chain disruptions like hurricanes.
- More sales from environmentally concerned consumers and similarly-minded businesses.
- Greater investment opportunities from Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-focused individuals and institutions.
- Be in compliance with state, federal, and industry environmental regulations.
Five Practical Steps to Reduce Your Business's Carbon Footprint
So how can a business reduce its carbon footprint? The methods will vary and depend on factors such as the business's sector, industry, and goals. For example, auto manufacturers may look at lean manufacturing methods to lower their cars' carbon footprint, while hospitals may build gardens on their rooftops. The following five ways, though, are general enough to apply to most businesses.
Measure Your Carbon Footprint
The first step for many businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint is auditing, or determining, their emission activities. These break down into three primary sources:
- Scope 1: These are direct emissions generated from the business. Business-owned vehicles and the release of refrigerant from an AC unit are examples of Scope 1 emissions.
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from business activities. Examples: Employees driving their gas-powered vehicles to and from work.
- Scope 3: Simply, all other indirect emissions from business activities such as electricity drawn from a coal-burning power plant, trees felled to provide paper for the company printer, waste disposal, and employee travel.
By completing an audit, a business will know what further steps to take to reduce its carbon footprint.
The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle
A business's wastes – papers, food items, old containers, etc. – can account for up to 15 percent of its carbon footprint. The Three Rs are processes to lower this figure.
- Reduce means minimizing waste generated in the first place. Communicating via phone or email instead of the fax machine, employees packing lunches in reusable containers, and purchasing products with minimal packaging are examples of this step.
- Reuse looks for new ways to use old products rather than discarding them. Legacy equipment, which is no longer supported by its manufacturer, can find continued usage thanks to newer computers equipped with legacy ports.
- Recycling processes old goods into new ones. Businesses can encourage employees to recycle by placing bins for paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum products throughout their facilities.
Green Technologies
According to the EPA, the US industrial sector contributed 30 percent of total GHG emissions in 2022. Electrical usage from computer use, along with other digital technologies, was one of the factors. Green computing strategies like the purchase of more energy-efficient ENERGY STAR PCs can help businesses lower their carbon footprint.
Use Online Meetings and Events
Whether it's for business or pleasure, travel accounts for about a fifth of total global emissions.
Businesses can reduce adding to this figure by hosting more meetings and events online. This also has the added bonus of cutting travel expenses.
Source Sustainable Energy and Suppliers
Finally, a business can consider ways to reduce the carbon footprint of its energy sources. Commercial companies like automaker BMW and furniture maker IKEA have invested in wind turbines to power facilities around the world. Businesses that don't have the means to use sustainable energy directly can offset their fossil fuel usage by purchasing renewable energy credits.
AI in Carbon Reduction: Opportunities, Risks & Controversies
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a computer system that mimics human intelligence: analyzing, learning, learning, etc. The technology is being hailed as a game-changer in reducing business carbon footprint. Why?
- AI can automatically track carbon footprint from activities ranging from using corporate jets to stocking the warehouse.
- Predict carbon emissions (and reduce them) by analyzing historical data and patterns.
- Identify opportunities to reduce waste on product usage and customer behavior.
However, processing all that data costs considerable energy, leading to higher emissions. Google reported in its 2024 emissions report that it saw a 13 percent increase in business emissions last year and a whopping nearly 50 percent rise back in 2019. In both cases, the company points to the rapid advancements in—and demand for—AI as the cause.
Businesses looking to use the technology in their carbon reduction efforts must find the right balance to be effective.
Reduce Your Business's Carbon Footprint with Cybernet
Environmental issues like greenhouse gases are essential concerns for today's consumers. To address these issues, businesses look to reduce their carbon footprint through measures such as going paperless. Artificial intelligence is rapidly making inroads among companies in their reduction effort, but its high power consumption has businesses proceeding cautiously.
Contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing if your company wants to find out how computers can help reduce its carbon footprint. Green computing requires computers to be built from the ground up to be sustainable, a capability only an Original Equipment and Design Manufacturer can provide. Our team members will happily cover the remarkable features that make our PCs fit the bill, from fanless cooling to Power over Ethernet (in select models).