Determining a CO2 Baseline: What, Why, and How to Get Started

The importance of a CO₂-baseline

Whether you want to reduce your CO₂emissions, meet market expectations, or aim for an EcoVadis medal: everything starts with an accurate measurement of your current emissions. This baseline measurement shows where the largest CO₂sources are located and which processes require the most attention. Without this starting point, you cannot set realistic goals or priorities, leaving your climate strategy stuck in empty words without results.

From insight to action

A CO₂-baseline doesn't oblige you to take immediate action, but it does reveal where the biggest savings opportunities lie. For example, it shows you which machines consume too much energy, where production processes are inefficient, or which activities unnecessarily drive up your CO₂emissions. By addressing these bottlenecks strategically, you not only reduce costs but also make your business more robust and better prepared for future challenges.

A CO₂-baseline offers you:

• Understanding the largest emission sources within your processes and their impact
• A strong foundation for targeted cost savings and efficiency improvements
• Clear priorities to align your sustainability strategy
• Ability to report according to the requirements of SBTi, ESRS, and other frameworks

Learn more about CO2 reporting

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Synergy with ESRS and EcoVadis

Your CO₂emissions accurately helps you perform better within sustainability frameworks such as ESRS or EcoVadis. These frameworks assess your company on various criteria, including CO₂reduction. By first accurately measuring your emissions and then addressing them strategically, you will meet the requirements of each framework faster and strengthen your position in evaluations.

How do you get started?

A CO₂baseline requires a systematic approach and technical expertise. Without a structured methodology, you can easily overlook important emission sources or make calculation errors, compromising the accuracy of your results.

These are the key steps you need to take:

1. Collect and categorize emission data

Map all direct and indirect emission sources to get a complete picture.

2. Scope of CO₂-determine inventory

Define which parts of your chain you measure (Scope 1, 2 and/or 3).

3. Choose calculation methods and emission factors

Choose the right methods to make the measurements as precise as possible.

4. CO₂-calculate emissions per scope

Convert your data to total CO₂-values per category.

5. Validate and document results

Ensure that the measurements are accurate and documented according to reporting standards.

You can complete these steps internally, but experience shows that an external specialist often plays a significant role in accelerating the process and ensuring accuracy. With our technical expertise and experience, you are assured of a CO₂-report that is accurate and meets all requirements.

The time investment for a baseline measurement varies per company and complexity. The lead time depends on factors such as the number of locations, data availability, and the desired depth of analysis. Afterwards, you will have a complete CO₂-inventory (Scope 1, 2 and/or 3) that can be verified by SBTi or other sustainability frameworks, according to all applicable requirements and internal needs.