Beyond Building:
Achieving Carbon Neutrality
14 Jan I 2023
The construction industry is responsible for a staggering 39% of global carbon emissions (1). The urgent need for its sustainability has never been clearer.
Being aware of one's footprint due to everyday activities is the first step towards having a positive influence on planet.
RCDC has begun this journey by measuring our Scope 1&2 emissions which cover our operational emissions. We feel a strong responsibility to calculate our carbon footprint, hence even the lack of data didn’t stop us. In cases where we didn’t have enough raw data to support our calculations, we turned to technical guidance’s to get a tentative number. While we appreciate this is not the most accurate number, we strive to improve upon it.
As a sustainability consultancy company, we encourage the use of electrical heating systems. Hence, we made the conscious decision of working in an office with electrical heating, which reduces our Scope 1 and 2 emissions considerably. Our total office energy usage is 1,069kWh/yr (this is equivalent to 4 electric cars charging to full battery simultaneously), which converts to a total carbon emission of 1.25tCO2.
We also keep track of our Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 is comprised of many different areas; however, we have started the process by calculating how much our commutes emit . The total commuting emissions for 2023 are 1.75tCO2, which is equivalent to the carbon footprint of producing the food for one person for a year. Evidence has shown that average commuting emissions are typically responsible for 53% of a company's emissions. However, for RCDC it was comparatively lower at 44%. This is due to the conscious efforts made by all the team members who chose in most cases to cycle, walk or take public transport for their daily commute to the office. All of which have almost no, or low carbon emissions associated with them.
In the future we are considering having more of a flexi-working structure. This innovative strategy revolves around maintaining a single heated office during winter and eliminating the need for individuals to heat their separate home offices while working remotely. Employees would be working remotely during warmer seasons removing the need to cool the office. It is rare to find AC units in people’s homes in the UK so this would also result in energy savings. This would lead to substantial seasonal energy savings and reduce negative environmental impact. This is based on research which claim that adapting your style of working based on seasons can lower your carbon footprint. This solution could also be related to Scope 4 (Avoided emissions).
Our emission calculations don’t stop there; we’ve also calculated our business travel emissions. Business travels can add a significant increase in total CO2 emissions. We've proudly recorded that out of 67 site visits, we've only resorted to rental car travel on two occasions, emphasizing our commitment to minimizing emissions. Public transport is our go-to choice. The total business travel emissions for 2023 are 0.91tCo2. If each site visit took place using a car, that number would’ve been 2.1tCo2. This is equivalent to driving 5,180 miles. The total amount saved Carbon is 1.2tCO2. We have created a tool to automate our business travel carbon footprint calculation so that our statistics are always up to date, now we have an accurate representation of our business travel emissions.
Previously, in our 2020 article we stated that in the future we will focus in becoming a carbon negative company. Well, we have done just that! RCDC is now officially a carbon negative business. This was achieved through teaming up with Ecologi, an organization with a fantastic reputation in affordable carbon offsetting. Thanks to this partnership, we've successfully sequestered 6.88 tons of CO2 and prevented the release of 75 tons of CO2 in 2023 alone. Since we began working with Ecologi we have avoided 186.29tCO2 in total. Ecologi helps RCDC offset our emissions by planting 4,285 tre es and creating alternative energy projects all over the globe. We sequester far more CO2 than we emit meaning RCDC has a real positive impact on the environment.
You can check our Ecologi stats at: Ruane Construction Design and Consultancy Ltd. | Ecologi
We have no intention to stop offsetting carbon anytime soon. A major component for RCDC achieving carbon negativity was by starting our emission reduction journey early into the development of the company. This has simplified calculations as they had begun before our rapid growth over the past 3 years. At RCDC we are always happy to help others if they are keen on beginning their journey towards Carbon Neutrality.
Of course, RCDC is a small puzzle piece in this world and our efforts may not drastically change the planet, however we are prepared to live up to our principles of sustainability. We will always ensure that we’re doing our part for the world around us. We invite you to be a part of this extraordinary journey towards sustainability. Together, we can build a greener, more sustainable world for future generations.
Contextual Note:
The three core principles at RCDC are sustainability, innovation, and digitalisation. We strive to maximise our positive impact on the environment through innovative and digital ways of working. We designate a large amount of our focus to minimizing our negative impact on the environment. This drives us to be forward-thinking, efficient, green pioneers in the construction industry. RCDC offers sustainable services to our clients, however we believe sustainability begins within our own company.
Sources:
1 - Global emissions stats - Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019
2 - Scope 4 - https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/company-guide/what-are-scope-4-emissions