For the first time, Horten reports on its carbon footprint in 2021. As a consultancy without production facilities, Horten's carbon footprint is limited. Horten's most significant contribution to the effort against climate change is therefore through the advice we give to operators in the green transition: manufacturers of renewable energy, the companies behind new, sustainable energy solutions and infrastructure, utilities and municipalities. That said, it is – of course – also important for us to get our own house in order.
Therefore, we have prepared a climate report for 2021 to form an overview of our yearly greenhouse gas emissions. The first climate report has given us detailed insight into the financial ratios and a baseline that will form the basis of identifying new focus areas in 2022 that may reduce our energy consumption and support the green transition.
The climate report has been prepared using the web-based system CEMAsys, which complies with the international standard Greenhouse Gas Protocol (the GHG protocol).
Climate report 2021
The carbon emissions are distributed on three scopes according to the directions and method of the GHG protocol. In 2021, Horten's total emissions amounted to 333.8 tCO2. With 278 full-time employees, the emission per employee is 1.2 tCO2 for 2021.
Scope 1 reports all emissions in company-owned buildings and means of transport. Horten's Scope 1 emissions are therefore related to the use of company cars and coolant gas in a cooling system at the offices in Hellerup. Together, our three offices account for 12.5 tCO2e, equalling 3.8% of the total carbon emissions in 2021.
Scope 2 reports all emissions from the use of electricity and district heating. The total emissions for all three offices are 228.1 tCO2e, equalling 68.7% of the total emissions and with an almost equal distribution between electricity (101.8 tCO2e) and district heating (126.4 tCO2e).
In Scope 3, Horten decided to limit the emissions for 2021 to business trips (driving in private car, air travel, taxi rides, train rides, ferry rides and hotel stays). In 2021, Scope 3 emissions constituted 93.2 tCO2e, equalling 27.9% of the total emission. The greatest emitter in this category was driving in private cars, which accounted for 49.3 tCO2e or 14.8% of the total emissions.
In 2021, our travelling activities and use of the offices were reduced due to the pandemic. We have been working more from home and travelled less by plane, train and car. Consequently, the year does not provide a clear baseline, and we expect that carbon emissions will be higher in 2022. However, the climate report has given us important new knowledge about the distribution of our consumption and where we can make an active effort in the future, both at our offices and in our choice of suppliers. We will set a target for this in 2022.
Sustainable buildings and kitchens
Horten's domicile in Hellerup has an energy consumption which is 10% below the current energy requirement at the time of construction (2009), and the building is equipped with various energy-efficient solutions such as control of ventilation, heat, cooling and lights via motion sensors, LED lighting and auto power-off.
The kitchen in Hellerup has been focusing on sustainability, organic produce and animal welfare for several years. We have a small vegetable garden on the roof terrace which supplies vegetables and herbs for the kitchen, and we have our own beehive for honey production. In 2021, we selected Grambogaard and Hindsholm as meat suppliers, which are both widely recognised for animal welfare, and we have replaced plastic packaging with a more sustainable cardboard product.
The offices at Frederiks Plads in Aarhus have been awarded the sustainability certificate DGNB Gold, which involves meeting requirements for the quality of material and their low environmental impact, reduced expenses for heating and maintenance for the lessees and an improved indoor climate and reduced noise limits for improved quality of life.
