The term “carbon footprint” refers to the amount of pollution an activity generates. It can be ascribed to a manufacturing, a service or a transport activity – or to an individual. It is typically measured by totalling up the quantity of greenhouse gas pollutants emitted by the activity over a year or the life of a product.

Six greenhouse gases are normally counted, with carbon dioxide the most common. For simplicity, the six gases are converted into a carbon dioxide equivalent metric – denoted in the following manner: CO₂e. Some organisations carry out a more comprehensive approach and choose to incorporate the full life cycle of a product or service and may include the performance of their supply chain.

In total, Australians are responsible for approximately 550 Million Tonnes CO₂e per year. This equates to a carbon footprint of 25T CO₂e/year on a per capita basis. This means that the activity of every man, woman and child in Australia results in 25 tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent) being emitted to the atmosphere. The per capita emission in Sweden is less than 6T CO₂e/year and in China it is about 3 Tonnes CO₂e/year.

In order to manage an activity, it must first be measured. In 2007 the former Government passed legislation that mandates that Australia’s largest emitters measure and report their carbon footprint - covering areas such as energy use in buildings, fuel used, transport etc. The legislation is called “National Greenhouse Emissions Reporting Scheme” and initially applies to about 1,000 of Australia’s largest emitters. Over time, the threshold will be reduced to include organisations that have lower emissions.

By measuring the pollution emitted, businesses will be able to implement programs to reduce their carbon footprint and be well informed to participate in a carbon trading scheme. Bottom-line savings can be achieved through the introduction of energy efficiency improvements. Improving energy efficiency has the added benefit of reducing the companies’ carbon footprint.

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