These three pillars of sustainability not only help organisations minimise their environmental impact but also enhance operational efficiency and build long-term resilience.

What is Emission Abatement?
Emission abatement refers to the measures and strategies businesses use to reduce or eliminate their greenhouse gas emissions. With global commitments like the Paris Agreement aiming to limit global warming to 1.5°C, businesses across industries are under increasing pressure to decarbonise their operations.

Common emission abatement strategies include:

• Energy efficiency improvements: Upgrading machinery, lighting, and building systems to reduce energy consumption.

• Switching to renewable energy sources: Utilising solar, wind, or hydropower to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

• Electrification of processes: Converting processes that rely on combustion of fuels to electric power, reducing direct emissions.

• Carbon capture and storage (CCS): Capturing CO2 emissions from industrial activities and storing them underground or reusing them in other processes.

• Process innovations: Redesigning manufacturing or operational processes to minimise emissions at every stage.

• Supply Chain Optimisation: Investigating the emissions of your supply chain with a mission to reduce carbon intensive activities.
  

  
  

Businesses can also engage in offsetting, where they compensate for their emissions by investing in carbon reduction projects like reforestation or renewable energy developments. However, the focus is increasingly shifting toward absolute emission reductions rather than relying solely on offsets.

Understanding Carbon Intensity
Carbon intensity measures the amount of CO2 emitted per unit of output, often expressed as kilograms of CO2 per kilowatt-hour (kgCO2/kWh) in energy production or per unit of product in manufacturing. Reducing carbon intensity is critical because it allows businesses to grow while cutting emissions.

For example:

• A company producing the same amount of goods but using cleaner energy will reduce its carbon intensity.

• A logistics company delivering more goods with fewer emissions per mile driven is decreasing its carbon intensity.
  
  

Lowering carbon intensity is a key goal for companies committed to reducing their Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy), and Scope 3 (emissions across the supply chain) emissions.

How to Reduce Carbon Intensity

• Switching to Low-Carbon Energy Sources: Utilising wind, solar, geothermal, or other renewable energy sources reduces the carbon emissions per unit of energy consumed.

• Process Optimisation: Streamlining operations and improving product design to reduce waste and energy use in production.

• Raw Material Selection: Selecting your materials from less carbon intensive sources will reduce the overall carbon intensity of the assembly being created. For example, steel from Norway used for a part will be less carbon intensive than steel from China

• Circular Economy Principles: Incorporating more recycling, reusing materials, and minimising resource extraction can lower the overall carbon intensity of a product or service.

Optimising the Supply Chain for Sustainability
A significant portion of a company’s emissions often comes from the supply chain, which includes the production, transportation, and distribution of goods. Optimising the supply chain for sustainability involves identifying and reducing emissions at each stage of the process, from sourcing raw materials to delivering the final product.

Here’s how businesses can approach supply chain optimisation:

• Mapping and Measuring Emissions: To optimise the supply chain, businesses need to have a clear understanding of where their emissions are coming from. This requires conducting a detailed emissions inventory, including Scope 3 emissions, which often make up the largest share of total emissions.

• Collaborating with Suppliers: One of the biggest challenges in reducing supply chain emissions is that they often fall outside a company’s direct control. By working with suppliers to improve their sustainability practices, companies can achieve more significant emission reductions.

• Sustainable Sourcing: Businesses can optimise their supply chains by choosing suppliers who adhere to sustainable practices, such as using renewable energy, reducing water use, or improving labour conditions. This also involves sourcing materials with lower embodied carbon (i.e., materials that have lower emissions associated with their production).

• Green Logistics: Companies can optimise the transportation of goods by using cleaner fuels, improving route efficiency, and adopting more energy-efficient transportation methods (e.g., electric vehicles, rail over truck transport).

• Circular Supply Chains: Designing products for longevity, repair, and reuse can reduce the demand for virgin materials and lower the carbon footprint of the supply chain.