|
|
 There is another transformative debate taking place in London this week. Despite being overshadowed by the Brexit, some of the world's business leaders, economists, experts and diplomats have gathered at the
Business & Climate Summit
(June 28-29) to discuss the role companies should be playing to mitigate climate change.
The time is now
Quantis CEO Emmanuelle Aoustin is among these transformative leaders discussing how to parlay COP21 activism and commitments into solid momentum and action for business. The key take-away after day 1 is that the transition to a low-carbon and resilient economy is happening - now! Businesses need to act swiftly, make decisions and set sustainable goals to be reached within the next 40, 50 years. It's time to act. The clock is ticking.
|
|
The rules of the game have changed
Science-based goal setting is an approach that aligns a business' sustainability strategy with objective science. Moreover, it is a paradigm shift in the way that companies set goals as part of a new framework to create resilience in a sustainable world.
A science-based target is aligned with keeping global temperatures under a 2°C scenario. To this end, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBT) was created by a partnership of global organizations CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI and WWF with the objective of helping companies determine how much they must cut greenhouse gas emissions to prevent a worst-case scenario.
Here's a before-and-now look at how the goal setting game
has evolved in the science-based era.
Measurement: towards Scope 3
Before:
Companies implemented product footprinting initiatives or corporate environmental assessments that looked at direct emissions, or Scope 1 and 2.
Now:
A Scope 3 assessment, including the full supply chain and use of products, is necessary to ensure that a sustainability strategy is aligned with global environmental challenges and climate science. WRI teamed up with Quantis to develop the Scope 3 Evaluator to get companies started. You can also read this article from our friend Cynthia Cummis at WRI on the business case for SBT, which focuses on GHG measurement.
Define & Commit
Before:
Goals were put into place to define and track environmental performance. Many companies set goals based on a combination of what was seen as feasible, but also sounded big enough to be recognized as meaningful improvement, for example to cut GHG emissions by 20% by 2020. These short-term goals are missing the context: Are the goals "good enough" to achieve the necessary change?
Now:
The feasibility of goals has a new twist: What can our planet support? Science-based goals are now being set by looking at the global context around issues like climate and identifying what amount of change needs to happen in one company's value chain for them to be playing an adequate part in effecting that global change. This permits companies to operate with a long-term, big-picture approach and allows them to identify and act on larger systemic issues on which they might not see measurable outcomes in the near-term, but which are needed to achieve sufficient change in the long run.
Leaders are committing to set SBTs. To date, 168 companies have signed up and the initiative is gaining momentum. A company must implement a full corporate footprint and assess the appropriateness of the climate commitments made.
At the summit this week, CDP and the We Mean Business Coalition launched a report, "The Business End of Climate Change" that addresses 5 business commitments. One of the commitments includes setting SBTs and forecasts that "2,000 companies will be setting Science-Based Targets by 2030".
Report & Communicate
Before:
Organizations publish sustainability reports or communications that outline GHG reduction goals, which is an essential objective to running a cleaner business. In terms of reporting, however, most companies are still mainly considering Scope 1 and 2.
Now:
Disclosure should include the full value chain and SBTs. CDP allocates points for setting an SBT. In order to do so, a company must know the relative importance of their Scope 3 target compared to their total Scope 1,2 and 3.
Reaching Goals
Before:
Incremental goals were set and small-scale projects were implemented. Any carbon reduction progress was deemed a success.
Now:
Goals are set based on climate science and are fully embedded in business objectives. The questions to answer are: Is our progress sufficient? Are we, as a business, doing our share to mitigate the effects of climate change?
With Quantis
Quantis works with companies around the world to understand this complex topics and to set science based goals. Our team leads awareness-raising workshops on science-based goal setting and planetary boundaries and we also guide companies seeking to align their sustainability strategy with this new approach, or to define long-term goals and operational action plans.
Contact Quantis' Charlotte Bande to learn more about how we can help your company measure, define, report and reach science-based goals.
|
|
 |
|
 The cycle of events: LCA is changing the way sporting events are organized
Global sporting events run in a cycle. Whether it's every 4 years like the Olympic Games
or the many annual or weekly events happening around the world, sporting event organizations are increasingly re-evaluating their position on sustainability stewardship.
Championships involve a significant increase in activity regarding the billions of spectators' and athletes' transportation to and from games, the merchandising and food and beverage value chains, as well as the maintenance and refurbishment of venues. An environmental assessment can guide these tournaments to measure and identify environmental impact hotspots and reduction opportunities.
Quantis is the recognized leader in sporting event sustainability strategy development and environmental assessment. We have worked with a host of event organizers to put into place meaningful strategies and action plans. A recent example is with the UEFA EURO 2016 football championship (see the report), where we helped them to understand the tournament's impacts through a multi-indicator analysis. Aligned with the hot spots highlighted, UEFA EURO 2016 implemented relevant actions on public transport and mobility, waste management, energy and water optimization or sourcing of products and services. Quantis also helped FIA Formula E to better understand the impacts of the electric single seat car championship, which besides the athletic aspect, is also promoting alternative transportation.
Each event has its own specificities, but they also share common challenges. So when a solid measurement process is identified, it's in everyone's best interest to share this knowledge and methodology. We are proud to partner with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games organization to do just that! After assessing the carbon footprint of the entire event, Quantis developed the Rio 2016 environmental calculator. This calculator will guide small to medium size sporting event organizers to assess their environmental impacts and make fact-based decisions about reduction efforts. With this free online tool, Rio 2016 leaves a lasting legacy placing sustainability at the heart of sports!
If you'd like to know more about our events projects, please contact Denis Bochatay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
London, UK / Jun 28-29th
Quantis CEO Emmanuelle Aoustin will be part of
some of the world's most influential business actors and policymakers coming together to work on implementing climate change action.
New Orleans, USA / Aug 10-12th
It's the go-to conference for food and beverage sustainability teams. Meet the Quantis US and learn about emerging issues, trends and technologies that are helping organizations face
natural resource challenges and to create sustainable value chains.
Montpellier, France /
Sep 20-22, 2016
Copenhagen, Denmark /
Sep 26-28 2016
Quantis is a proud sponsor of the first SB event on the Continent. Let's talk about how metrics are helping organizations around the world create and communicate on sustainable brands. Look for Quantis' Carole Dubois, Lori Gustavus, Dimitri Caudrelier and more.
|
|
|
|
#QuantisEUROcontest
Win an official adidas UEFA EURO football!
How many CO2 emissions will be emitted during the tournament?
Send your estimate
by
tweeting with #QuantisEUROcontest. T
he closest estimation of the number of tons of CO2 eq measured during the tournament will win the official adidas UEFA EURO 2016 football.
Quantis and UEFA are working on the footprint and will publish the results in September - along with the name of the winner!
For the contest, we will consider only the CO2 emissions linked to the teams, officials, volunteers and spectators. Construction and renovation of the stadiums are not included.
|
|
|
|
|
OSCAR: equipping the postal sector to tackle climate change
Postal activities from the Universal Postal Union's (UPU) member countries generated 62 billion tons of CO2 in 2014. To equip postal services around the world to be able to identify reduction levers, UPU partnered with Quantis to develop OSCAR.
OSCAR is the new Online Solution for Carbon Analysis and Reporting for the postal industry. OSCAR will enable the UPU's 192 member countries and their postal agencies to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions and to identify mitigation opportunities.
The tool provides 20 key performance indicators, such as carbon emissions per kilometer driven or per ton-kilometer transported by plane. Postal services results can be compared to different operators within their geographical region who share the same performances and assess results against industry average.
|
|
AccorHotels and Quantis innovate with infographics:
|
|
|
|
|
|
