The 5 most common mistakes in CO₂ balancing and how you can avoid them

Creating a carbon footprint is a complex task that requires a lot of data and precise methodology. In doing so, companies often make mistakes that affect the accuracy and meaningfulness of the balance. We asked our carbon footprint expert Franziska Niesch to identify the five most common mistakes in carbon footprinting and how to avoid them.

1. Unclear responsibilities

Mistake:
A common mistake is to delegate the task of carbon footprint accounting to the wrong person. In the already stressful day-to-day business, this task is often given to working students, apprentices or interns. They then find themselves standing at closed doors when collecting the various information, because the information is either too sensitive or the person in charge does not have the necessary authority to give instructions.

Solution:
Almost every department is required to work together to ensure a precise carbon footprint. Therefore, the task should be delegated from the top down. Management must support the project and appoint a person in the company with sufficient authority to ensure the necessary support. This ensures that all relevant information is collected and processed correctly.

2. Underestimating the effort

Mistake:
Many companies underestimate the effort involved in preparing a carbon footprint. Collecting and analyzing all the relevant data, such as employee travel, energy consumption, waste and purchases, is time-consuming and complex, especially if the data is not available in digital form.

Solution:
Although the first assessment is often particularly time-consuming, once all the data is available, it only needs to be updated for future assessments. It is therefore worth making the effort and setting up a central point for data collection and management from the outset.

3. Perfectionism

Mistake:
Companies tend to fall into a perfectionist trap during data collection, which unnecessarily prolongs and complicates the process. The data should be accurate, but it doesn't have to be perfect from the start.

Solution:
Document weaknesses in your data and improve them step by step. For example, you can start with averages (standards) and encourage your suppliers to create their own carbon footprints. This will give you a foundation that you can continuously improve.

4. Unclear objective

Mistake:
Creating a carbon footprint simply because a customer or partner expects it is not a sustainable motivation. This kind of approach often leads to a superficial and inconclusive balance.

Solution:
Set yourself clear, specific goals. Your carbon footprint should be a tool for making your environmental impact measurable and for identifying the measures needed to improve it. Understand and interpret the figures in order to make sustainable decisions that also bring many economic benefits for your company.

5. Methodological errors

Mistake:
Methodological errors are common and can significantly affect the accuracy of the carbon footprint. For example, one common mistake is to assign emissions to the categories of the GHG Protocol incorrectly.

Solution:
Make sure that you correctly assign emissions to the appropriate categories. For example, emissions from delivery can fall into both the “upstream” and “downstream” categories, depending on whether you pay for the service yourself or bill your customer for it. Further methodological errors can include the incorrect crediting of compensation services in the balance or the incorrect designation of greenhouse gases.

If you need support with carbon accounting, the experts at natureOffice will be happy to help. We will help you to avoid methodological errors and to create a precise and meaningful carbon footprint.

Contact us for a non-binding consultation and benefit from our expertise in carbon accounting!