The CO2 footprint and its implications
The carbon footprint, also known as CO2 balance, refers to the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions caused directly or indirectly by products, people or processes. The concept of carbon footprint thus goes far beyond the individual. For example, the carbon footprint of a product is composed of the emissions from the manufacturing process, the use as well as the recycling of the product.
The carbon footprint of an individual consists of all activities through which CO2 emissions are caused. For example, the drive to work, as well as the next vacation trip, is part of one's carbon footprint.
Companies also have a CO2 footprint. This metric is particularly important in terms of stakeholder relations, employees, suppliers and shareholders. Especially, customers tend to pay high attention to climate neutrality. Also, in times of emission taxes, an analysis of a company's CO2 footprint can provide important information for optimization measures throughout the company.
How to reduce your carbon footprint
A trend that can be observed especially in the younger age groups is the will to reduce the individual CO2 footprint. Younger people in particular are demanding this not only from the rest of society, but increasingly also from companies. But how can you make this small, personal contribution to climate protection?
Nutrition
Even if you want to continue eating meat, you can reduce your carbon footprint by adjusting your diet. For example, if you consume regional and seasonal products, you can significantly reduce emissions. . If yo additionally cut back on your meat consumption, you not only save emissions that are created in the course of production, but also methane gases, whose greenhouse effect is about 25 times greater (takepart, 2021) than that of conventional CO2.
Clothing
If you want to sustainably reduce your carbon footprint, the motto `who buys cheap buys twice` applies. Based on data from Oekom Research, the WWF Foundation analyzed 12 textile brands for their ecological commitment and came to the conclusion that more than half of the companies studied have not yet adopted any practical measures to combat climate change. Choosing the right clothing brand is therefore so important, as the entire industry contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions with 1.7 billion tons of CO2 annually (WWF, 2021).
Mobility
Transportation is responsible for about 20% of global CO2 emissions. Domestic air travel in particular, with an average of 255g of CO2 emissions per kilometer, plays a decisive role. Short trips by car also account for a significant share of total mobility emissions, with an average of 180g CO2 emissions per kilometer. But what are the most efficient ways to travel in the most climate-neutral way possible? If you replace your car with a bicycle for shorter distances, you reduce emissions by 75% on average. If you take the train instead of the car for medium-length journeys, you reduce emissions by an average of around 80%. If one swaps the train for the plane for longer distances, one can even reduce emissions by 84% on average (Ourworldindata, 2018).
Energy and waste
Approximately 80% of the energy consumed in current society is based on fossil fuels. Power plants produce about 30% of total carbon emissions (Climatecommunication, 2021). Thus, the same applies to the topic of energy - a lot can be achieved with small measures. For example, you can turn down your heating by 1°, shorten your shower time, unplug electronic equipment or simply turn off the water while flushing or brushing your teeth. By taking these measures, you kill two birds with one stone - you lower your personal carbon footprint and save on energy costs at the same time.
The sharing economy offers simple ways to actively reduce your own carbon footprint. Resource sharing, as offered by www.rentya.de, plays a significant role in this, as it enables the emissions from the production, use and recycling of an object to be shared.
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