Functional Carbon Offsetting in 2024
Functional offset 13 tonnes of CO2 in 2024 via ForTomorrow. Emissions rose 80% year-on-year – mainly new hardware for new colleagues. Here's what we learned.
Our CO2 Footprint in 2024 – Honest Numbers
TL;DR
- Functional GmbH offset 13 tonnes of CO2 in 2024 via ForTomorrow.
- Emissions increased ~80% vs. 2023, mainly due to new computer equipment for new employees.
- At ~1 tonne CO2 per employee, our footprint remains well below the EU average of ~12 tonnes.
Development of our CO2 emissions
In 2024, we have emitted 12,6 tons of CO2 equaling an increase of 80 % compared to 2023. The driving force behind this development is illustrated in the following graph:
The biggest relative and absolute increase in CO2 emissions is from purchased goods and heating. Reducing this further is quite hard without losing our ability to work.
Car travel saw the most significant reduction. We have successfully shifted towards more sustainable transportation.
Classification
Most of us work remotely from home. Our standard way of travelling is by train. Thus (and because we are not a manufactoring company), compared to other companies we are not a significant emitter of CO2.
According to a Eurostat report the average greenhouse gas emissions of an employed person in the EU in 2023 was 12,3 tons. In Germany, it was 12,0 tonnes. We produce approximately 1 ton of CO2 emissions per employee. We consider this to be very acceptable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any reliable data on the emissions for none manufacturing companies like us.
How we can reduce further
To efficiently reduce total consumption and CO2 emissions, we have to focus on the largest contributors first and prioritize high-impact actions. However, one has to keep in mind that our emissions are already very low and therefore it is hard to reduce them even further. What we are looking at in particular:
- Reduce Purchased Goods (54%) – Highest Impact
Extend usage: We are using our computer equipment as long as possible to avoid buying new ones. - Avoid Flights and Car Rides (15%)
Our flights and car rides are not down to zero yet. So there is still potential to reduce emissions.
The Certificate
We offset our 2024 emissions with ForTomorrow. For the rationale behind our choice of offsetting partner, see the 2023 report.
