Brought to you by Laura Kruse and André Rückert from ECOLOGICON GmbH
The environmental footprint is a key metric used to quantify the impact of human activities on the planet, serving as a crucial tool for assessing sustainability, guiding policy decisions, and promoting responsible resource management. It encompasses various factors such as carbon emissions, water use, land degradation, pollution, and resource depletion. From these metrics, different footprints such as carbon, water, and energy footprints can be calculated. The ecological footprint specifically measures the biologically productive land required to sustain a population’s consumption and absorb its waste.
History
The concept of measuring environmental impact gained traction within the sustainable development movement, particularly through the work of organisations such as the Club of Rome and discussions at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. During this time, the need for metrics to quantify environmental sustainability became increasingly apparent. The ecological footprint was developed by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in the early 1990s as part of Wackernagel’s Ph.D. research at the University of British Columbia. Since then, the concept has been refined and widely adopted as a tool for assessing environmental impact on both individual and societal levels.
Types of footprints
There are several specific types of environmental footprints, each measuring a different aspect of human impact on the environment.
- Carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in CO2 equivalents, caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, event, or product.
- Water footprint assesses the total volume of freshwater used by individuals, industries, or nations or for one product including both direct and indirect water consumption.
- Energy footprint evaluates the total amount of energy consumed from renewable and non-renewable sources.
- Land footprint examines the amount of land required to support a particular lifestyle, industry, or product, while the material footprint quantifies the amount of raw materials extracted to support consumption and production activities.
How it is calculated
Environmental footprints are calculated using various methodologies, depending on the type of footprint being assessed. Generally, the process covers data collection, impact assessment, normalisation and benchmarking, and reporting and analysis.
- Data collection involves gathering information on resource consumption, emissions, and waste generation.
- Impact assessment applies scientifically validated models to quantify environmental effects.
- Normalisation and benchmarking compare results against established sustainability targets or industry benchmarks, while reporting and analysis present findings to guide decision-making and policy implementation.
Different organisations and countries use diverse methodologies, which can lead to variations in results.
Benefits
Environmental footprints offer a comprehensive assessment of environmental impact. It also allows for a comparative analysis, for example between products, organisations of the lifestyle of populations. It can therefore be seen as a tool to align with climate goals and measure the advancement. For businesses, environmental footprints provide a tool to enhance corporate sustainability. For consumers, it provides an educational measure which may enforce more sustainable consume decisions and generally greenwashing could be prevented.
Shortcomings
Despite its usefulness, the concept of environmental footprints has some limitations. Many calculations are based on estimates and averages, which may not capture the full scope of environmental impact. Different calculation methods can lead to inconsistencies, making cross-comparisons difficult. Environmental footprints also focus solely on ecological factors, often neglecting social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Reliable and comprehensive data collection can be challenging, affecting accuracy and reliability.
Overcoming shortcomings
To address inconsistencies in environmental footprint calculations, the European Union introduced the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Organisational Environmental Footprint (OEF) frameworks. These methodologies aim to standardise environmental performance assessments, making comparisons more reliable and improving transparency across industries. As part of its 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission recommends that companies use PEF and OEF to substantiate their environmental claims and prevent greenwashing.
However, environmental footprints alone may not provide a complete picture of sustainability. To overcome their limitations, additional approaches such as life cycle costing and social impact assessments can be integrated. These complementary methods help ensure a more comprehensive evaluation that considers economic and social dimensions alongside environmental factors.
Understanding environmental footprints and their broader implications is essential for making informed decisions that promote sustainability at individual, corporate, and policy levels. In the CE-RISE information system the environmental, social and economic footprints of products play a crucial role to improve decision making along the downstream process of waste from electrical and electronic equipment.