Supporting Sustainability: Using Software To Track, Analyse And Monitor Key Emissions
Sustainability is a topic of increasing importance - and there’s growing pressure on organisations and individuals to showcase what they’re doing to reduce their environmental impact. This includes facility managers, who wield the power to make the decisions about the building and services they maintain.
In this article, Daniel Usifoh, co-founder of Axiom Sustainability Software explains how specialist technology can help facilities management professionals decrease the environmental impacts of existing buildings by tracking, analysing and monitoring key emissions metrics.
The Importance Of Measuring Sustainability
From security and parking through to cleaning, contracts, catering, internal technologies and more – each service that facility managers oversee contributes to the overall sustainability credentials of a building.
Traditionally, sustainability hasn’t been central to the remit of a facilities manager, but this has now changed – as professionals are increasingly tasked with projects to improve credentials and cut emissions. If we are to achieve net zero and fulfil the objectives of the United Nation’s SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), then facility managers will have a part to play.
However, before sustainability can be implemented it has to be measured. It’s impossible to make informed decisions without being able to identify which areas of a building’s management are unsustainable. Having access to up-to-date, accurate emissions data is therefore incredibly useful as it can present a realistic image of a building’s carbon footprint and highlight which specific areas need to be addressed.
Visibility over key metrics such as carbon emissions, energy use, water and waste management provides a foundation for real change in this industry, as it directly supports facility management professionals in making better decisions.
Sustainability And SECR
It’s also incredibly useful when it comes to SECR reporting, as it equips facility management professionals with tangible data which can then be used to track progress and create sustainability goals.
The UK government’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy was implemented in 2019 and forces businesses in scope to comply with a set of regulations that require them to be transparent about their operations by disclosing their energy and carbon emissions. This includes all businesses classified as “large” under the Companies Act 2006, as well as those businesses who are already obliged to report Energy and Carbon emissions under mandatory greenhouse gas reporting regulations - which includes all quoted companies.
Scope Emissions – A Closer Look
The consumption usage and associated greenhouse gases they are expected to report on are divided into three Scopes: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3. Scope 1 covers emissions from owned or controlled sources, Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from the generation of purchased steam, electricity, heating and cooling - whilst Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organisation, but which still impact their value chain.
Although smaller businesses aren’t obliged to report, it is a highly effective way of accelerating the journey towards sustainability as it gives a comprehensive overview of their emissions and environmental impact.
This is especially true for Scope 3 as it includes all the emissions generated by suppliers in creating and delivering the products and services they supply to a building, such as cleaning and maintenance services. This means that Scope 3 emissions go beyond the carbon footprint of the building itself, as it takes into consideration the operations and emissions of external organisations that may not practice sustainability.
Being able to access vital information about environmental metrics is therefore especially advantageous for facility management professionals or business owners who are legally obligated to report on SECR. This is because it allows them to see which parts of their supply chain - or which specific suppliers - are the largest emitters and are adversely impacting their sustainability credentials. This knowledge enables them to act accordingly, which in practice could include switching to a new, more environmentally friendly supplier or supporting them in making their operations more sustainable.
The Challenges Of Gathering Data
Despite the usefulness of this type of data, it has been historically difficult to gather and monitor.
The operations of a building and the business it facilitates are inherently complicated – encompassing different people, procedures, supply chains and resources. This means that it can be challenging to record and monitor emissions. This is especially true when it comes to Scope 3, where most of the data associated with these emissions need to be accessed from external sources. This makes data collection very difficult - but given that this Scope can account for up to 80% of a business’s emissions, it’s important that these insights can be obtained so that sustainable practices can be implemented.
Using Software To Advance Sustainability
One solution to the challenges associated with reporting on emissions is to use specialist software.
There is a wide range of options available on the market that have been designed to streamline the reporting process by automatically collecting and calculating data. This makes SECR reporting much easier and provides a more centralised, reliable way of measuring the environmental impact of a business or building.
As we move towards a future where sustainability credentials will be increasingly prioritised, it is likely that facilities management professionals will be expected to provide this type of data on the buildings they look after. Utilising this type of technology is therefore a great tool as it provides an easier way to report on the essential metrics that the sustainability of a building is evaluated on.
Additional information can be found at https://axiom-sustainability.com/
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