Many organisations are now expected to undertake an assessment of their impact on climate change, prompted by legislation, external stakeholders, investors or brand reputation issues. RPS can provide strong, reputable and defensible independent assessment on which business decisions can be taken, and key stakeholders engaged. Not only will we provide clear information but we will present both the opportunities and risks presented by a particular carbon footprint.

Carbon footprints are an inventory of greenhouse gases emitted by an organisation and expressed in terms of the carbon dioxide equivalent. The process of producing a carbon footprint is not always straightforward, as carbon emissions can arise from direct energy use, transport and manufacturing processes, as well as indirectly though electricity consumption and embedded in raw materials. Understanding these boundaries is critical to a successful carbon footprint project. RPS Group experts can provide up-to-date advice on the most effective approaches and the latest standards in the field of Carbon Footprinting and Carbon Life-Cycle Analysis.

The most common purpose for a carbon footprint is to enable emissions to be effectively reported and then managed; ideally by reducing the emissions or by switching to lower carbon energy sources. RPS’ extensive engineering, communications and carbon trading skills enable us to deliver a cost-effective route for organisations to minimise their carbon emissions while maintaining stakeholder value. See the “Carbon Management” Service for more detail.

Our expertise in Carbon Footprinting covers a wide range of public, commercial and industrial organisations, as well as Life Cycle Analysis to determine the carbon contents of individual products. Not only can we undertake carbon Footprinting on existing organisations but we can also model and forecast anticipated footprints – for example on property developments where a Carbon Footprint can be used to advise planners and decision-makers.