Carbon Footprint

The carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person. Greenhouse gases can be emitted during supply; transport, manufacturing, production and use/consumption of goods as well as during activities like land clearing and coal mining. Organisations commission an emissions assessment in order to assess their carbon footprint so that a strategy can be developed to reduce it by, for example, alternative processes or managing demand. For procurement practitioners the implication is that we need to understand the carbon footprint of our supply chain and our suppliers, not just our own organisation’s carbon footprint. See also Carbon and Greenhouse Gases.