Revolutionising carbon footprint assessment for a global mass media company

Overview

A global mass media company, well-established in the world of print, digital content and events, set out to tackle an ambitious sustainability challenge.

The goal was to not only quantify the carbon footprint of their diverse operations but implement an effective strategy that would drastically reduce their environmental impact over time. This transformation was crucial as the company strived for Net-Zero emissions and were looking to enhance their overall sustainability credentials.

Challenges

Like many businesses, this media giant faced significant challenges when it came to effectively measuring and managing their carbon emissions. The main obstacle was the outdated data collection process. Previous attempts to assess their carbon footprint relied on manual methods that were both time-consuming and labour-intensive. These processes drained valuable internal resources and often required external support. The complexity increased due to the varied nature of the company’s operations – each with its own carbon impact.

They lacked a cohesive carbon strategy and were struggling to define a clear baseline for their carbon emissions. Without a reliable baseline, it’s impossible to identify specific decarbonisation targets or develop a roadmap for reducing emissions throughout their supply chain and product offerings.

The solution

To address these challenges, they embarked on a carbon management journey with CarbonQuota to establish a reduction strategy, functional execution plan and a new carbon baseline. The aim was to deploy a roadmap that increased granularity and de-carbonised the entire business, by focusing on multiple procurement categories.

CarbonQuota was tasked with completely overhauling their carbon footprint assessment process. The first step in this transformation was replacing the company’s previous provider, which relied on spend-based averages that did not provide the necessary precision or actionable insights.

Science-based methodologies

We introduced robust, science-based methodologies utilising primary data rather than generalised spend-based estimates. This shift enabled the company to gain granular insights into their emissions across a wide range of activities and operations. By automating the carbon calculation process, CarbonQuota removed the inefficiencies of manual data collection, providing the company with more accurate, real-time carbon insights.

Tailored decarbonisation roadmap

A bottom-up approach was adopted, where CarbonQuota worked closely with the media company to develop a bespoke decarbonisation strategy. This strategy focused on key carbon inventory categories, such as print media, events, content creation, digital operations, merchandise, business travel and general operations. A crucial component of this strategy was the creation of detailed plans for data collection, supplier engagement and the seamless integration of carbon management systems across the company.

Key actions and initiatives

Integration & automation
CarbonQuota implemented automated processes for capturing, calculating, and reporting carbon emissions data. This automation spanned multiple categories and integrated data from surveys, bulk uploads, and various activity-based data inputs. The automation reduced the reliance on manual input and improved data accuracy, providing a seamless flow of information.

Carbon portal
A customised Carbon Portal was developed for the company, offering centralised, real-time reporting across departments. The portal provided visibility into Scope 3 emissions, helping the company set reduction targets for each department. This tool empowered internal teams to track progress and identify areas for improvement.

Granularity and insight
With CarbonQuota’s approach, the company gained unprecedented granularity and visibility across key carbon categories. These included print operations, events, content creation, digital presence, merchandise, and business travel. The enhanced insights allowed the company to identify hotspots in their carbon footprint and take targeted actions to mitigate emissions.

Sustainable Procurement Policy
One of the standout actions was the development of the company’s first Sustainable Procurement Policy. This policy aimed to embed sustainability across all supply chains and procurement decisions. It encouraged more responsible sourcing and integrated environmental considerations into purchasing decisions, helping to drive behaviour change within the company’s various category teams.

Supply chain engagement
To ensure the success of the carbon reduction strategy, CarbonQuota introduced software tools that allowed suppliers to calculate and report their own carbon emissions. These supplier-generated emissions data was then consolidated into a single platform, enabling the company to gain full visibility into the carbon footprint of their entire supply chain. This collaboration helped the company work with suppliers to reduce emissions further.

The CarbonQuota effect

Thanks to the suite of actions and tools implemented by CarbonQuota, this global media company achieved significant milestones in their sustainability journey.

1. Carbon visibility
   The company now had clear visibility into carbon hotspots across its operations, enabling targeted changes and carbon reduction initiatives that were previously impossible to implement.
2. Global impact
   The company developed a comprehensive, global sustainable procurement framework that was integrated into their entire procurement lifecycle. This framework ensured that sustainability considerations were embedded in every stage of the supply chain, from sourcing to final delivery.
3. Enhanced reporting
   With the new tools and methodologies, the company gained granular, category-level visibility into its carbon footprint. This led to enhanced global reporting capabilities, both internally and externally, creating new opportunities to influence the supply chain and meet regulatory reporting requirements. The increased transparency provided actionable data for future sustainability efforts.

Here’s to the future…

Through their collaboration with us, this globally renowned media company successfully achieved a deeper understanding of their carbon footprint and implemented a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy. The new, science-based approach is enabling them to track, reduce and report emissions much more effectively – setting them on a clear path toward sustainability and Net-Zero targets.

Are you ready to start your sustainability journey?

If you’re looking to take control of your carbon footprint and begin your journey towards Net-Zero, CarbonQuota can help. Book a meeting with a CarbonQuota expert today to discover how science-based methodologies can accelerate your procurement strategy and make a meaningful impact on your sustainability efforts.

Together, we can drive change and create a cleaner, greener future.

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