Carbon footprint® for the service sector

Whether it's the "regulatory" definition, or the Ademe trademark "Bilan Carbone©", or the operational reality of the exercise,f it's a question of quantifying all a company's emissions.

A complete regulatory emissions balance, used to produce the regulatory Bilan GES and Bilan Carbone©, is made up of 3 scopes.

They include direct emissions (from fixed or mobile installations within the organizational perimeter), indirect emissions related to energy (production of electricity, heat, etc.) and other indirect emissions (transport, waste, suppliers' materials, etc.).

The integration of these three scopes allows a complete review of an organization's emissions. The objective is not only to quantify, but also to identify the most important emission points in order to reduce them in priority.

A regulatory GHG assessment can be carried out in all sectors of activity. It allows, at its own level, to reach reduction objectives but also to participate in the achievement of the objective of carbon neutrality by 2050.

This is why, even if it is not mandatory for all companies and local authorities, it is recommended to carry out one now in order to have the necessary elements to implement an emission reduction plan without delay.

The tertiary sector represents the majority of organizations that can carry out their complete assessment. It is a significant source of energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction that should not be overlooked, with a guaranteed positive economic impact for the company and its ecosystem! Indeed, the reduction of emissions generally leads to a reduction of the associated bill!

📃 GHG emissions in the tertiary sector: challenges and prospects

The tertiary sector covers a vast field of activities. It ranges from trade to administration, including transport, financial and real estate activities, business and personal services, education, health and social work.

It is broken down into:

• Tertiary sector mainly commercial (trade, transport, financial activities, services to businesses, services to individuals, accommodation and catering, real estate, information and communication);
• Mainly non-market tertiary (public administration, education, human health, social action).

Because of its different sectors of activity, the possibilities for reducing emissions are many and varied. Some are already in place.

In 2017, emissions from housing and tertiary sector buildings (offices, shops, educational facilities, health care facilities, cultural and sports facilities, restaurants and hotels) were 58 Mt CO2e and 34 Mt CO2e respectively.

The main emissions came from energy consumption, particularly fossil fuels. Improved energy efficiency and the use of less carbon-intensive energy (electricity instead of fuel) are the two immediate approaches to reducing emissions. The electricity used must then be produced from decarbonized energy such as nuclear or renewable energy.

These common points of reduction are always studied during the construction of new buildings. Thus, despite the continued increase in built-up areas, the sector's emissions are decreasing by 2% each year.

However, this decrease is mitigated by the increase in emissions from building cooling. Building air conditioning systems and refrigeration production equipment in shops and restaurants emit HFCs, which are much more warming than CO2. HFC is a GHG gas that accounts for 24% of GHG emissions in the tertiary sector and 11% in the residential sector. The reduction of this gas is an imperative for the reduction of the sector's GHG emissions.

The transport sector represents the main share of GHG emissions in France. Reductions have always been implemented in this sector: modification of the energy used, modal shift or an improvement of the logistics chain (distances, loading rates, empty runs, etc.). Important efforts have been made by some. The involvement of all would be necessary.

The realization of a GHG assessment allows each company to rationally realize its impact on the environment and the benefits are multiple:

• Reducing emissions to limit its impact on the environment
• Improved economic performance, 
• Improvement of the company's image, 
• Raising awareness of sustainable development among employees and stakeholders

The analysis and reduction of emissions from the tertiary sector is essential for the fight against environmental disruption.

📃 Sector obligations

Since June 2011, under the Grenelle II law of July 12, 2010, regulations in France require the regular publication of a GHG emissions report including the quantification of emissions according to scope 1 and 2, with scope 3 being recommended for the time being (expected to be mandatory in 2022).

Companies with more than 500 employees (250 for overseas departments), local authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, and other legal entities under public law with more than 250 employees are required to produce and publish a GHG report every 3 or 4 years.

In addition, since December 24, 2021, under Decree No. 2021-1784, Article 244, companies with more than 50 employees that benefit or have benefited from the "Covid" stimulus plan are required to produce a simplified greenhouse gas balance sheet, i.e. reduced to scope 1.

By extending this calculation to scopes 2 and 3 on a voluntary basis, we can ensure that this constraint is transformed into benefits (immediate savings in energy and supplier costs, positive communication, etc.). We are also preparing for the near future when the three scopes will be mandatory and the carbon tax will be in place: it will have been very useful to engage upstream the reduction of its base by a reduction plan which always requires some time to be implemented. A fine of €10,000, with a maximum of €20,000 if the offence is repeated, should motivate companies not to forget this obligation!

Moreover, nothing prevents a local authority or a company that is not obliged to do so from voluntarily carrying out a regulatory GHG assessment that guarantees a coherent approach, and from imposing it on all of its suppliers during its calls for tender.

Finally, the tertiary decree sets new obligations in terms of energy performance for existing buildings with a surface area dedicated to tertiary activities exceeding 1000m².

It requires a reduction in final energy consumption of at least 40% by 2030, and up to 60% by 2050, compared with a reference consumption year no earlier than 2010. The tertiary sector is therefore obliged to act quickly; this decree requires information and calculations which are the same as part of the Bilan GES.

So it makes sense to do both simultaneously. Reducing energy consumption can be achieved, for example, by changing habits, but also by mixing the use of renewable energies with fossil fuels whenever possible. Multiple solutions can be exploited thanks to a GHG inventory.

Since 2012, Global Climate Initiatives (GCI) has been offering private and public companies, organizations and local authorities of all types and sizes online tools and services to help them identify, calculate, reduce their carbon footprint, and carry out their GHG inventory in full compliance with international texts, benchmarks, standards and norms.

This online platform is accessible at any time and allows you to carry out a complete GHG assessment in a fluid and optimized way, adapted to local authorities, primary sector companies, secondary sector companies and tertiary sector companies. With the help of a 100% customizable questionnaire and twenty or so suggested input masks specific to each activity, it can be adapted to the particularities of any company's business and organization.

The GCI calculator guides each user in the creation of their report. Divided into seven emissions categories, it scenarios the entity's activity and thus allows an intuitive and fun approach, before intelligently grouping the emissions according to the 3 scopes and 23 regulatory items.

In this way, a local authority, hotel, office building, factory or event can easily draw up a balance sheet of its emissions and obtain reporting. The analysis of emissions points will enable the development of targeted reduction action plans, and thus reduce the organization's environmental impact.

The reduction in emissions is underway. New improvements will be iteratively developed as time goes on and progress is made.