Contribution to “Jahrbuch Oberflächentechnik”

Carbon footprints for metal processing companies

A carbon footprint, also referred to as a greenhouse gas footprint, is a quantitative measure of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by a specific activity, product, or company over a defined period. A climate balance aims to record and evaluate the overall contribution to greenhouse gas emissions to understand the effects on climate change and identify potential reduction strategies. This article covers defining the balance boundary, identifying emission sources, collecting data on energy consumption, transportation, and materials that lead to greenhouse gas emissions. It also includes the use of standardized emission factors to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions linked to the collected data, resulting in total emissions measured in CO2 equivalents. The conclusion involves developing targeted, company-specific reduction strategies based on the gathered information.