Mainstream Adoption of Carbon Measurement Technologies
Carbon footprint measurement has emerged as a key area for mainstream adoption of sustainability technologies, according to a recent study by Gartner.
Annette Zimmerman, research vice president at Gartner said: “Environmental sustainability cannot be the responsibility of just a few industries – if our climate is to be protected, sustainable business must be a global priority.”
Annette believes that the adoption of sustainable technologies will be transformative. She continues: “The transition to a net-zero economy will be as disruptive as the industrial revolution or the digital revolution, requiring new technologies, business models, strategies and processes.”
Gartner identified three emerging technologies likely to have the most immediate impact for sustainability. Amongst them, is carbon footprint measurement:
Carbon Footprint Measurement
Carbon footprint is defined as the quantity of emissions generated by activity. The carbon footprint encompasses three emission scopes:
Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy.
Scope 3: All indirect emissions (not included in Scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the company. This includes both upstream and downstream emissions.
The Complexities of Scope 3
Amongst these, the Scope 3 emissions are often the most challenging to measure. Yet in many companies, and particularly those in service-based industries, they can contribute to over 95% of total emissions. Because of this complexity, Gartner expects carbon footprint measurement technologies to see significant adoption. This will allow companies to broaden their focus to capturing all these emission types – resulting in greater transparency.
“Ultimately, every organisation will have to invest in carbon accounting tools,” said Zimmermann. “Software solutions which provide transparent carbon measurement and actionable advice are seeing rapid adoption, and Gartner expects continued growth as integration capabilities progress.”
If you are an existing Gartner client, you can read more in “Emerging Technologies and Trends Impact Radar: Environmental Sustainability.”
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