Carbon Accounting Report Shows
35% Decrease in the Seattle Hub's Emissions

Aug 21st, 2024

Seattle, Washington – In June, our Seattle team announced their efforts toward sustainability by performing an organization-wide carbon accounting analysis. Their approach includes a yearly carbon accounting analysis encompassing Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions into their reduction plan. By examining the carbon costs associated with each area of focus, they can identify where to improve and make meaningful changes that contribute to a greener future.

The Seattle hub just received the results of the 2023 carbon accounting analysis, and the report shows a 35.23% decrease in carbon emissions from 2019.

Our commitment to sustainability

In Seattle, we recognize that sustainable business practices are not just a trend, but a necessary commitment to our planet’s future. As part of our ongoing sustainability efforts, backdating to early 2021, we’ve been diligently working on our carbon accounting journey. Through data-driven technical analysis and rigorous auditing, we’re identifying areas for improvement, ensuring transparency, and aligning with industry standards. As we enter our third year of carbon accounting, our goal is to clear: a 55% reduction in our 2019 carbon emissions by 2030, both for our own operations and in support of our clients’ carbon reduction initiatives.

Annual carbon accounting analysis

So, what exactly are we doing? We are committed to an aggressive carbon emissions reduction program, which aligns us with global sustainability efforts. Our approach includes a yearly carbon accounting analysis encompassing Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions into our reduction plan. We have no Scope 1 emissions due to the absence of company-owned vehicles or generators. By examining the carbon costs associated with each area of focus, we can identify where to improve and make meaningful changes that contribute to a greener future.

Scope 2 emissions

Scope 2 emissions are better known as indirect emissions. These arise from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling used for daily operations. Specifically, we are examining Scope 2 emissions related to the electricity and heat usage in our Issaquah office facilities. By understanding and optimizing these indirect emissions, we can make meaningful reductions to our carbon output.

Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions focus on indirect value chain emissions. These encompass emissions generated throughout our organizations entire value chain, such as supply chains, materials in building, purchased goods and services, and employee commuting. By analyzing and addressing these emissions, we aim to significantly reduce our overall carbon footprint.

The major contributing factor to the decrease in our carbon emissions came from reducing our scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions focus on indirect value chain emissions. These encompass emissions generated throughout our organization’s entire value chain, such as supply chains, materials in buildings, purchased goods and services, and employee commuting.

In four years, we decreased our Scope 3 emissions from 612.88 metric tons (MT) to 392.79 MT – a 220.09 MT decrease. This change is largely due to limiting our:

Business travel, including air travel emissions (a change of 264.53 MT)
Employee commuting (a change of 46.38 MT)
Upstream transportation and distribution (a change of 4.9 MT)

What's next for our carbon accounting journey?

In 2023, our biggest scope 3 emissions were purchased goods and services. As we continue our efforts to reduce our emissions in 2024 and beyond, we are targeting this area to make the greatest positive impact.

To minimize our carbon emissions from purchased goods and services, we are reevaluating our procurement processes to source sustainable office supplies and equipment, including snacks and goods. One of the interesting learnings from this evaluation is the impact of shipping on our carbon footprint metrics; therefore, we are exploring ways to use shipping costs more effectively and efficiently to minimize the number of deliveries to our office from distribution centers.

We are also analyzing our services to get a reduction plan in place for the future, including our operations in payroll, accounting, legal, and consulting. With some of these service functions being outsourced, we are performing an inventory on our services and seeing how they can be streamlined, scaled back, and renegotiated.

While the purchased goods and services category leaves the most room to make a positive impact in the future, we are committed to continuing our reduction efforts across all scope 2 and 3 categories.

Strategic initiatives for emissions reduction

Our emissions reduction plan is built on the foundation of strategic initiatives designed to decrease service-level emissions. Here are some of the high-value strategies we are implementing:

Energy Efficiency in the Office: We’ve installed motion-based sensors for lighting in our offices, significantly reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
Optimizing Office Supplies and Equipment: We are reevaluating our procurement processes to source sustainable office supplies and equipment, including snacks and goods. One of the interesting learnings from this evaluation is the impact of shipping on our carbon footprint metrics. Consequently, we are exploring ways to use shipping costs more effectively and efficiently in order to minimize the number of deliveries to our office from distribution centers.
Sustainable Software Solutions: Transitioning from on-premises to cloud-based software services helps us cut down on electronic waste and energy use.
Business Travel: We are meticulously analyzing our business travel to reduce flights, purchased gas, and other travel-based emissions. By encouraging remote meetings and telecommuting, we aim to lessen our travel footprint.
Work from Home vs. Office: Understanding the impact of remote work compared to in-office work allows us to develop strategies that optimize energy use and reduce emissions, whether our employees are at home or in the office.
Waste and Recycling Programs: Implementing comprehensive waste and recycling programs helps us minimize our environmental impact and promote a culture of sustainability within the workplace.

To ensure we have a clear picture on our environmental impact, we also conduct an annual employee survey. This survey collects detailed information about our workforce’s carbon footprint, including remote work environments and commuting habits. The data we gather guides our sustainability strategies and helps us tailor our initiatives to have the maximum positive impact.

Continuous improvement and impact analysis

Our journey towards sustainability doesn’t just stop at implementation. We continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our initiatives, optimizing strategies based on their impact. This iterative process ensures that we are always moving towards our goal of a more sustainable and responsible business operation.

We believe that every step towards sustainability is a step in the right direction. By integrating these practices into our corporate culture and daily operations, we are not only reducing our ecological footprint but also setting an example for others to follow.

Acknowledgements

We want to extend a special thanks to RyeStrategy for their invaluable support and expertise throughout our carbon accounting journey. Their guidance has been instrumental in helping us navigate the complexities of carbon accounting and develop effective strategies for emissions reduction. As we continue our journey towards carbon reduction, we stay committed to making a positive impact on the environment and contributing to a sustainable future for all.

About MIGSO-PCUBED

MIGSO-PCUBED is the world leader for Project Management and PMO consulting. With a team of specialists reaching across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, we have become the trusted delivery partner for the most recognizable brands around the world. Working in the fields of aeronautics, defense, automotive, transportation, financial services, energy, public sectors, and beyond, we help our clients to turn their biggest ideas into reality. We adapt our solutions to their culture as well as leverage the latest technologies and best practices to bring the greatest value.