Having recently completed Carbon Literacy Training for Rural Industries, which we developed in partnership with SAC Consulting (part of Scotland's Rural College), and is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project, Agrecalc's Head of Marketing Aleksandra Stevanovic writes about the importance of carbon emission measurements.
We are delighted to collaborate with Keep Scotland Beautiful on spreading awareness of the necessity of carbon literacy in the rural industries.
The training gave us an insight into what our industry needs to do and zeroed in on how we can better ourselves to support it. Plus, it was a great way for our team to bond over a shared passion, and helped us brainstorm new ideas on how we can lower our own carbon footprint.
Aleksandra Stevanovic, Head of Marketing at Agrecalc
You may have heard about carbon audits or assessments, and you may have an inkling on why one should be conducted.
Here, we’ll try to outline some benefits of having a carbon assessment done.
- Baseline – know your numbers.
The baseline – that first carbon assessment that you do – is the equivalent of ‘you are here’ on a map.
Many of the reduction percentages that float around in the media and in official government documents sound like insurmountable targets. But don’t panic – in reality, those numbers translate into probably around 1-2 percents per year.
However, until you do your first assessment – and in any calculator that is suitable for your business – you won’t know what reduction measures can pay immediately, and what you can leave for a few years down the line.
There is more time than you think to find solutions that suit your farm. Even if you’re not actioning it right away, you are better prepared for the future.
- Identify your business hotspots.
Is a certain field less productive than others? How efficient is your equipment? Could you tweak your management practices?
Once you have a farm emissions report in your hands – or on your screen – you can move from anecdotal evidence of your business hotspots to concrete, black-and-white, data-driven hard facts.
- Informed decision making.
Closely connected with the previous point is the fact that now, with hard data in your hands, your decision making has a solid, auditable trail.
That is the best shield against the potential ‘regulatory stick’ that farmers are afraid may be looming in their future. Informed decision making, evidenced by the reports year after year, shows that you’re moving in the right direction and taking up low-carbon practices with documented results.
- Increase resource efficiency – and that will reduce your emissions.
Emissions reduction is a natural by-product of increased resource efficiency; resource efficiency will improve operations and importantly improve your profit and loss – therefore emissions reduction is a bonus to your bottom line.
- Remeasure your baseline – your best benchmark is yourself.
Agrecalc boasts with the largest farm database among the calculators on the UK market – with more than 30,000 validated reports (and counting), which we use for anonymised benchmarking of farms and enterprises.
But regardless of these numbers – your best benchmark is yourself. Tracking your results year in and year out is the best way to improve your resource efficiency, and as a positive outcome, your emissions reduction too.
- Choose a tool and stay with it.
You need to choose the tool that suits your business best. Most calculators have free versions too. Test them; and don’t just go for the one that gives you the lowest carbon numbers.
There are many reasons you’d want to choose a specific calculator; for some it may be cost, or the way they input or present data.
Choose a balance between your needs and how much you want to invest in your business. Your carbon assessment is not a tick-box exercise – at least it shouldn’t be. If done properly, it can bring benefits such as:
- Compliance with future regulations – proactively managing carbon footprint can ensure compliance with evolving environmental regulations and avoid potential penalties or market restrictions.
- Identifying cost-saving opportunities – uncovering inefficiencies leads towards implementing targeted mitigations for improved resource efficiency.
- Improved resilience – optimising your resources enhances farms’ resilience to external factors such as fluctuating energy and fertiliser prices.
- Meeting consumer demand – demonstrating commitment to carbon reduction can differentiate your business in the market and attract consumers willing to pay a premium for sustainable products.
- Enhancing farm profitability – implementing carbon reduction strategies can improve the overall efficiency of your business, which will show up on the bottom line.
Continuous education in carbon literacy is another action that we’re happy to recommend. Rural industries face unique challenges, but rural industries are also key to providing the solution to climate change problems – and are the only industry that can do so, even when faced with very tight deadlines.
Through our partnership with SAC Consulting (part of Scotland's Rural College), we provide accredited Carbon Literacy training for the rural industries sector.
Delivered in collaboration, our training offers businesses and organisations operating in agricultural, food and drink, and land-based sectors an opportunity to gain a recognised qualification in Carbon Literacy to help futureproof their business and support the drive towards a Net Zero future.
Get in touch today to begin your net zero journey.
