We consider the impact that our own operations have on the environment and have taken steps to reduce our operational footprint, which we report publicly. Data includes electricity, natural gas, paper use, water consumption, and business travel and has been converted to greenhouse gas equivalents using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Since we began reporting in 2008, the results indicate that our efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle have had some impact.
These efforts were spearheaded by our Green Team, a cross-corporate, volunteer employee advocacy group which provides a forum to develop new ideas. We have undertaken many environmental initiatives as a direct response.
Operational footprint data
| Unit | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020*** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity Consumption | kWh | 8,532,174 | 8,519,795 | 7,817,317 | 8,437,828 | 7,652,252 |
| kWh/FTE* | 6,518 | 6,489 | 5,882 | 5,767 | 5,048 | |
| tonnes CO2 | 1,287 | 1,285 | 1,180 | 1,273 | 1,155 | |
| Natural Gas Consumption | m3 | 208,324 | 261,965 | 245,702 | 286,302 | 225,006 |
| m3/FTE* | 159 | 200 | 185 | 196 | 148 | |
| tonnes CO2 | 159 | 494 | 465 | 540 | 424 | |
| Business Travel | km (flight) | 16,422,000 | 16,024,000 | 14,242,000 | 14,165,000 | 1,948,000 |
| km (vehicle) | 135,000 | 100,000 | 117,000 | 126,000 | 23,000 | |
| Total km | 16,557,000 | 16,124,000 | 14,359,000 | 14,291,000 | 1,971,000 | |
| tonnes CO2 | 1,890 | 1,838 | 1,640 | 1,662 | 230 | |
| Paper Consumption | tonnes | 11 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 2 |
| kg/FTE* | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 1 | |
| tonnes CO2 | 25 | 22 | 46 | 64 | 13 | |
| Paper Recycled | tonnes | 35 | 63 | 58 | 63 | 20 |
| kg/FTE* | 27 | 48 | 44 | 43 | 44 | |
| Mixed Paper Recycled | tonnes | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | N/A |
| kg/FTE* | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 | |
| Building Water Consumption | L | 19,557,000 | 19,522,000 | 25,078,000 | 20,826,000 | 12,953,000 |
| L/FTE* | 14,940 | 14,868 | 18,870 | 14,235 | 8,544 | |
| Waste Generated (HQ)** | tonnes | 118 | 130 | 150 | 144 | N/A |
| Carbon Footprint | tonnes CO2 | 3,596 | 3,638 | 3,330 | 3,539 | 1,822 |
| tonnes CO2/FTE* | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.2 |
* FTE is full-time equivalent (all permanent employees with a status of active, paid leave, or unpaid leave).
** This figure includes waste generated from two commercial facilities located within the EDC headquarters building.
***Due to pandemic-related restrictions and remote working from March to December 2020, EDC did not undertake waste audits, had limited travel, and restricted operations at offices.
Assumptions used for measurable footprint components:
- Paper consumption: includes plain paper usage in the serveries andpPrintshop
- Paper recycling: includes confidential shredding bins and bulk shredding
- Mixed paper recycled: includes common mixed paper, cardboard recycling centres and individual mixed paper recycling bins. This calculation is based on the 2015 Waste Audit.
- Electricity consumption, natural gas consumption, and building water consumption: pro-rated based on leased EDC office space
- Business travel (flight and vehicle): includes air travel purchased / tracked through Ottawa travel department, and mileage associated with EDC’s car allowance program.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion information
| Footprint Component | Inventory (Scope 1, 2 or 3) |
CO2 Factor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity Consumption | Scope 2 | All (Ontario Power grid uses coal, oil, natural gas, hydro and nuclear) | World Resources Institute GHG Protocol from purchased electricity, v.4.9 (revised March 2017) |
| Natural Gas Consumption | Scope 1 | Commercial, gaseous fossil, natural gas | World Resources Institute GHG Protocol from stationary combustion, v 4.1 (revised May 2015) |
| Paper Consumption | Scope 3 | Cascade Rolland HiTech 50 uncoated paper with 50% recycled content |
CO2 estimates were made using the Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator v4.0 (2018) |
| Business Travel (flight) | Scope 3 | Total CO2 emissions resulting from short- and long-haul flights | World Resources Institute (2008): GHG emissions from transport or mobile sources, GHG Emission Calculation Tool, v 2.6 (revised May 2015) |
| Business Travel (Vehicle) | Scope 3 | Total CO2 emissions resulting from personal or company vehicles | World Resources Institute (2008): GHG emissions from transport or mobile sources, GHG Emission Calculation Tool, v 2.6 (revised May 2015) |
World Resources Institute: The Greenhouse Gas protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (revised edition);
Scope 1 Inventory: a reporting organization's direct GHG emissions
Scope 2 Inventory: a reporting organization's emissions associated with the generation of electricity, heating/cooling or steam purchased for own consumption
Scope 3 Inventory: a reporting organization's indirect emissions other than those covered by Scope 2