Last updated: 24 July 2023 at 15:44

Carbon calculation and carbon management are essential aspects of sustainability for Createch companies, enabling them to understand, monitor, and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the entire Creative Industries sector increasingly relies on digital infrastructure and advanced technologies, such as machine learning and data streaming, it is crucial for companies to assess and manage their carbon footprints to minimise their environmental impact and align with global decarbonisation goals.

To effectively calculate and manage carbon emissions, Createch companies need to collect and analyse relevant data across their operations, supply chains, and product lifecycles. This includes data from training machine learning models, inference, and streaming services, as these activities can contribute significantly to a business's overall carbon footprint.

Data Items Required for Carbon Calculation

To perform carbon calculations, Createch companies need to gather data related to their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 categories.

A block diagram illustrating the elements of Scopes 1 to 3.

Scopes 1, 2 and 3 for a typical B2B Createch.

Typically, these are the data items required for most Createchs:

Energy consumption: Total energy use, including electricity, natural gas, and other fuel sources, along with their respective emissions factors.
Transportation: Vehicle fleet fuel consumption, employee commuting, and business travel data.
Machine learning models (training and inference): Energy consumption associated with training machine learning models, including the computational resources used, data centre location, and energy mix.
Data centre operations: Energy consumption of data centres, cooling systems, and other IT infrastructure, along with their respective emissions factors and energy mix.
Streaming services: Energy consumption related to data streaming, including server usage, data transmission, and end-user device energy use.
Waste and resource use: Waste generation, recycling rates, and resource consumption (e.g., water, raw materials).
Supply chain emissions: Data on supplier emissions, transportation, and logistics across the entire supply chain.
Product lifecycle emissions: Data related to the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management of products or services.

This data on energy consumption etc allows companies to calculate their carbon footprints and identify opportunities to reduce emissions across their operations, technologies, and supply chains. Carbon management strategies, such as energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy procurement, and emissions offsetting, can help companies achieve their decarbonisation goals and contribute to a more sustainable future for the creative technology sector.

Creating a carbon management plan

A carbon management plan helps Createch companies reduce their emissions, align with global climate goals, and enhance their sustainability performance.

The following shows the steps in developing a comprehensive carbon management plan for a Createch business:

Carbon footprint assessment:
- Measure your business's carbon footprint, covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
- Include emissions from energy use, transportation, waste management, machine learning model training, data centre operations, and streaming services.
Emissions reduction targets:
- Set ambitious, time-bound, and measurable GHG emissions reduction targets that align with global goals and industry best practices.
- Break down targets into short-term and long-term milestones.
Action plan:
- Identify strategies and initiatives to achieve the emission reduction targets, such as:
  - Energy efficiency measures in office spaces, data centres, and IT infrastructure.
  - Transitioning to renewable energy sources or procuring green electricity.
  - Implementing circular economy practices in product design and waste management. For many Createchs, this likely involves repair, recycling and refurbishment of electrical and electronic equipment such as 3D printers, VR headsets, gaming consoles, photogrammetry cameras and sensors, servers, routers and other networking equipment. Where the product is physical, as in the case of the haptic sneakers produced by Groundwaves in the UK that involve textiles and electromechanical devices, this involves rethinking the entire life cycle of the product, from materials and manufacturing to usage and end-of-life. It means using renewable or recycled materials, developing methods for easy disassembly, and creating return systems for used products so their life can be extended.
  - Optimising machine learning models and algorithms for energy efficiency.
  - Encouraging remote work, teleconferencing, or sustainable transportation options for employees.
  - Engaging with suppliers to reduce Scope 3 emissions.
Monitoring and reporting:
- Establish a system to monitor and track your business's progress towards its emission reduction targets.
- Regularly update the carbon footprint assessment to ensure accurate tracking of emissions.
- Report on the business's GHG emissions and carbon management efforts in annual sustainability reports, corporate communications, and industry benchmarking platforms.
Employee engagement and training:
- Develop and deliver training programs to educate employees on the importance of carbon management and their role in reducing the business's emissions.
- Encourage employees to contribute ideas and participate in sustainability initiatives.
Supplier engagement:
- Assess suppliers' sustainability practices, including their GHG emissions management.
- Collaborate with suppliers to identify opportunities for emissions reductions within the supply chain.
- Consider incorporating sustainability criteria into procurement processes.
Continuous improvement and innovation:
- Regularly review and update the carbon management plan to ensure ongoing alignment with industry best practices and global climate goals.
- Explore innovative technologies and approaches to enhance the business's carbon management efforts and overall sustainability performance.

Comprehensive list of carbon calculators

List of carbon calculators relevant to Createch.

This information is brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts in the UK. CfSD was established in 1995 in Farnham, Surrey, UK and is based within the Business School for the Creative Industries (BSCI). The Centre has led and participated in a range of high-quality research projects and has organised hundreds of conferences, workshops and training courses in Europe. CfSD works with partners in Europe, Asia, and North America to deliver high quality results.

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