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How can you minimize the environmental impact of your activities?

The climate stability of the last millennia has come to an end, as we are now suffering the effects of this environmental impact. Global average temperatures are now rising every decade, making 2020 one of the warmest years in history. 

Paris Climate Agreement 2015 was signed as climate change has become a worldwide concern, to limit global warming. To achieve this goal, one of the main solutions is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). On a personal level, reducing gas emissions might be reasonably easy, but on a business level, it is a more complicated task. 

Therefore, from SUMAC, we bring you a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from your company’s activity: identify and calculate your carbon and water footprint. 

But, what does carbon footprint mean?

The carbon footprint is a performance indicator; the higher the carbon footprint, the greater the negative impact on the climate and the worse the performance. Among the different types of greenhouse gasses, the most common is carbon dioxide (CO2), therefore, being carbon neutral means making these emissions equivalent to zero. Carbon neutrality is considered one of the most important measures to combat climate change.

On the other hand, we must highlight what we mean when we talk about corporate carbon footprint. The greenhouse gasses that cause climate change are caused directly or indirectly by organizations. Directly, emissions come from the fuel used in the company vehicles or boilers, while indirectly, they come from the company’s electricity consumption, as well as from the consumption of goods and services. 

Therefore, a first step to achieving this objective is to know what your carbon footprint is and then create action plans to reduce, offset and/or remove the emissions generated. To calculate the Carbon Footprint, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions must be evaluated along with their compensation. At SUMAC, we offer you to know the footprint of all your company’s activity taking into account international standards and agreements appropriate to local regulations:

  • Organizational footprint
  • Product footprint
  • Service footprint

There is a close connection between carbon footprint and the consumption of drinking water, since the drinking water purification process (taking into account that only 1% of the planet has freshwater) generates a great energy consumption, thus increasing CO2 emissions.

The consequences of climate change are not only limited to greenhouse gas emissions but also influence intense droughts, floods, melting of glaciers, among many others.

More about your water footprint

We are committed to preserving water, a limited vital natural resource. By calculating the water footprint of your organization, product and/or service, you can reduce your company’s water consumption, generate cost savings, take advantage of alternative sources of supply and raise awareness about its responsible and rational use. 

The water footprint is an environmental indicator that defines the volume of total freshwater used, meaning the total amount of water consumption of the activity and/or organization. 

Humanity is responsible for impacting the environment up to record levels and, at SUMAC, we want to contribute to the change. The starting point is to identify your carbon footprint and your water footprint. From there, we accompany you in the process to reverse the climate impact of your organization through different sustainable strategies and energy efficiency, becoming an agent of change and reducing costs in this process. 

We partner with you to create value and do business in a more responsible and ethical way.

Expert

María Paz Otero

Architecture Manager

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