Zebrabox & myclimate – a journey through the emissions jungle
What does our ecological footprint look like? Where can we still improve? Zebrabox's first CO2 balance will soon be published, allowing us to define targets and measures. We take you on a journey through the emissions jungle.
Carbon footprint, CO2 balance, Scope 3, etc. Everyone is talking about emissions, we wanted to know more! How much CO2 emissions are we responsible for and what measures are there to compensate for them? We asked ourselves these questions at the beginning of the year, and we will find out in a few weeks time! Our first CO2 balance is being published in cooperation with myclimate. Our goal? To reduce our emissions by taking the best possible measures and do our bit to help lessen this global problem.
Let there be light in the CO2 jungle
With more and more sites and the focus on our own properties, our exciting voyage of discovery through the CO2 jungle began! But we soon realised that it was time to have a competent partner at our side. This led to the cooperation with myclimate in February 2022. Founded in 2002, myclimate is a non-profit organisation that promotes climate protection through a wide range of climate protection projects around the world.
The first step was to document all of our emissions in a CO2 balance. By doing this, we can see our impact and get an overview of Zebrabox's carbon footprint. The next step is to take targeted measures to reduce emissions in order to improve in terms of sustainability and do our best!
Corporate carbon footprint
A corporate carbon footprint takes into account relevant greenhouse gases (such as CO2, methane & nitrous oxide). These are systematically recorded within a certain period – in our case within the 2021 business year. Data collection ranges from energy consumption and business operations to materials, waste and recycling. Subsequently, the effect of the gases is converted into CO2 equivalents (CO2e, global warming potential over a period of 100 years). This allows us to learn more about Zebrabox's current state and to define, monitor and benchmark our CO2 targets. In addition, the results also provide a basis for fact-based communication with our stakeholders.
Data collection challenge for self-storage
It quickly became clear to us that a detailed balance sheet specific to self-storage was required. In pre-existing calculation models, the room temperature of living spaces is usually the guideline value. This was not relevant for storage units and had to be adapted. Obtaining data on property management companies, electricity providers and waste disposal companies also proved to be more complicated. Since each canton has its own laws, the overall picture became even more entangled. For 11 sites, we were in contact with approximately 45 people. Despite this, or precisely because it was more difficult than expected, we are excited about the findings and will take you on a journey through the emissions jungle!