Presenting carbon footprint calculator results: A free business guide and template
To fully understand where your business is on the journey to reducing carbon emissions and becoming more sustainable, we’ve created a free and easy-to-use carbon footprint calculator. Using your company’s information, complete the calculator tool before progressing with this next step…
The free carbon footprint results dashboard template
Now you’ve filled out the carbon footprint calculator, you don’t want to just leave the results sitting in a spreadsheet. If you’re trying to lower your business’s carbon emissions, it’s important that you tell the world about your efforts! Putting your results into an eye-catching, simple graphic can make them immediately meaningful.
A dashboard is an interesting and easy way to present your results from the carbon footprint calculator. It allows you to highlight the important numbers, present a reduction strategy, or different decarbonisation scenarios. Perhaps you need to communicate the results to your team? Or maybe you need to win the edge with a prospect in a pitch? We’ve created a PowerPoint presentation template slide to make all of it easier for you.
Understanding the carbon footprint results dashboard
We’ve kept the carbon footprint results dashboard simple and easy. You just need to fill in the blanks (they’re highlighted in yellow) with the results you got from your carbon footprint calculation.
There are three icons to start with. First, the number of employees in your business. Next, the number of tons of carbon that the whole business has produced. Then, on the other side of the equals sign, the equivalent in air-miles. There’s no dark art here. All we’re doing is helping people understand net zero and how to interpret kilogrammes and tons of carbon in a way people can relate to.
The next section, ‘Decarbonisation Goals’ will give you more scope to communicate your intentions and plans to reduce carbon over time. For example, you may want to commit to reducing your carbon emissions by offsetting. This part of the dashboard lets you show that.
1) Offsetting
On the dashboard, you’ll see the word ‘offsetting’ and the number of tons you’re planning to offset using a recognised scheme. Offsetting means that you combat your carbon emissions by means other than reduction. Tree-planting is currently used as a means to offset existing carbon emissions.
To complete this section, fill in the blanks to confirm how much you are planning on offsetting in the next 12 months. And then detail what this offsetting looks like in a tree planting equivalent.
We’d like to stress that we do not advocate offsetting in place of reducing carbon. But if you have only just started measuring your carbon emissions and want to address this immediately, then offsetting can provide you with a way to start.
2) Actual Planned Reductions
Next, you’ll display how many tons you’re planning or committed to reducing over the next 12 months.
In the yellow-highlighted blank, note down how much carbon you are planning to reduce. Then, detail how this reflects in the number of air-miles you and the team would not fly. Again, this is just a simple way to make your efforts to decarbonise a little easier to understand.
Telling customers and stakeholders about your carbon footprint calculator results
It’s important to know what you want to communicate and the necessary level of detail. Do you simply want to tell your team or customers how much carbon you use? Or maybe you’d like to highlight how much you would have used if you hadn’t made efforts to offset or reduce your consumption.
The aim here is to help people understand net zero and how to interpret kilogrammes and tons of carbon in a meaningful way. For example, not everyone knows what a ton of carbon looks like, but most people can relate to air-miles.
Once you’ve created your dashboard, send it to your team, stakeholders and customers, or share it on your social channels. Tell them about the efforts you’re making, and how indirectly you’re helping them to reduce their carbon too! Why not send some valued customers the carbon footprint calculator and dashboard template and offer to show them how you do it?
If you found this page useful, check out our net zero hub for more free tools, tips and expert advice.
Please note, SSE Energy Solutions has written this blog for information purposes only. We recommend speaking to your own business and financial advisors before taking any direct action that will impact your business.