The challenge
For Aigües Vic, calculating its carbon footprint was not approached as an exercise in climate excellence or as a starting point, but rather as a necessary step within a journey that was already underway. The challenge was to quantify emissions, organise impacts and gain a deeper understanding of the real footprint of a company that provides an essential service and operates critical infrastructure across the territory.
The organisation had already made efforts in efficiency, energy management and operational improvement, but it lacked an integrated view that could provide a comprehensive understanding of the climate impact of its activities.
The challenge was therefore not simply to calculate emissions, but to build a shared picture that could identify where the main impacts were concentrated and establish realistic priorities for action.
The project took shape from within the organisation, with the active involvement of technical teams and middle management, who helped connect the results of the calculation with the actual day-to-day operation of the service.
The question guiding the project was not “how do we present ourselves?”, but rather “where are we now, what are we already doing well, and what can we start improving with data in hand?”.
The methodological principles
- A comprehensive emissions inventory covering Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
- A calculation carried out in accordance with the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 methodological frameworks.
- The establishment of a base year and a methodology that allows the calculation to be repeated annually and progress to be monitored over time.
- An interpretation of the carbon footprint focused on management rather than calculation alone: identifying where impacts are concentrated and where the organisation has the ability to act.
- A process built around the active participation of the organisation’s teams, connecting emissions data with the real decisions and operational dynamics of the service.
- An approach conceived as a starting point for defining a realistic and progressive action plan.
Results
The calculation made it possible to quantify impacts that had previously been understood only partially or intuitively. The results showed that more than 90% of emissions are concentrated in Scope 3, particularly in areas directly linked to the day-to-day operation of the water service.
- Explore new treatment and recovery options for construction and wastewater treatment waste.
- Analyse purchasing and the main suppliers with the greatest contribution to emissions.
- Plan a progressive and carefully considered fleet transition, compatible with the operational requirements of the service, in order to reduce the impact of corporate travel.
The inventory therefore made it possible to organise priorities and focus efforts on the areas where the organisation has the greatest real capacity to intervene.
Leassons learned
- A carbon footprint does not reduce emissions by itself. Its value lies in helping to organise information, set priorities and make better-informed decisions.
- The project also highlights that an essential service provider does not always start from a position of technological advantage or have large budgets available for experimentation. For this reason, a decarbonisation strategy needs to be built around the organisation’s real operational, economic and territorial constraints.
- Internal knowledge and team involvement are essential to ensure that the calculation is not disconnected from everyday operations. The people who understand how the service actually works are the ones best placed to interpret the results, raise the relevant questions and turn information into practical decisions.
- Measuring the carbon footprint makes it possible to stop acting blindly and start building a climate-neutrality strategy step by step, based on operational decisions, team involvement and a continuous improvement approach.
Measuring emissions does not reduce them by itself, but it allows an organisation to stop acting blindly and start making decisions based on data.