Carbon emissions account for 81%1 of total greenhouse gas emissions and companies have a major influence on this. The rest of the greenhouse gas emissions are methane (10%), nitrous oxide (7%) and fluorinated gases (3%). Did you know that carbon emissions can be divided into three different scopes? They are defined by the GHG Protocol. It is a must for us at Bechtle to monitor and understand our carbon emissions, which is an important first step in reducing our carbon footprint. We do this by using the three different scopes to monitor our carbon emissions:
Scope 1 | Direct emissions
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from tools that belong to and are under Bechtle's control. In other words, emissions are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of a series of activities at company level. This includes all fuels that can cause greenhouse gas emissions. We are working on using renewable energy, many offices within Bechtle use solar energy. Scope 1 also includes company cars that are not electric. Bechtle is in the process of converting its fleet to electric cars and is also investing in a charging station on locations.
Scope 2 | Indirect emissions – owned
Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy from a utility company. In other words, all greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere, through the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling. Bechtle calculates its Scope 2 emissions based on International Energy Agency (IEA) 2018 factors; all other factors are based on UK 2018 emission factors from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). These emissions are shared every year in the sustainability report of Bechtle AG.
Scope 3 | Indirect emissions – not owned
Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions - not included in scope 2 - that take place in Bechtle's value chain, i.e., emissions related to the company's activities. For this Scope, we are working on a new project where more information will come out in the next few months. With the emerging project, we are mapping our emissions over which we have little control, but where we do want to take responsibility. We want to reduce these emissions through social projects located in different parts of the world.
We still have a long way to go, but every day is a learning process. We try to become better and more sustainable in what we do every day. Soon Bechtle AG's new sustainability report (of 2021) will be published. In this report, you will be able to read more about how the Bechtle Group approaches sustainability across the various scopes. You can also look at our sustainability reports of the past years (https://www.bechtle.com/de-en/about-bechtle/company/sustainability).
