Worried about the environment? Now you can measure your setup's carbon footprint.

Have you ever stopped to think about the real impact your team has on the environment? A good way to find out is measure the carbon footprint of your setup. Analyzing this topic is not only relevant to large corporations, but also affects anyone who uses technology on a daily basis.

In this article, we dive into everything you need to know about this topic: from the basics and history behind the term, to an analysis of electronic devices, the use of cloud services, and the impact of the work environment and commuting.

What is a carbon footprint and how does it apply to your setup?

La carbon footprint es a key environmental indicator which summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced directly or indirectly by an activity, product, company, or individual. In the context of our technological setup, it covers both the energy consumption of equipment and the impact derived from its manufacture, use, and disposal, in addition to the emissions associated with the digital services used.

The term "carbon footprint" was widely promoted by corporate campaigns from energy companies, especially since 2004, but has evolved to become a central concept in contemporary environmental awareness. Nowadays, it is applicable to personal, organizational or territorial areas., allowing us to put figures on the environmental impact of virtually anything, including everyday technological equipment.

When it comes to the carbon footprint of your setup, the following should be considered:  

• The energy consumption of computers, monitors, peripherals and other gadgets.
• Emissions from the manufacture of such devices (embodied carbon).
• The use of cloud services and data storage.
• Air conditioning of the work environment (heating/cooling).
• Occasional work-related travel (office, meetings, etc.).

 

Origin and evolution of the carbon footprint concept

The term "carbon footprint" originated in association with awareness-raising and corporate social responsibility campaigns, but was soon adopted by international organizations, governments, businesses, and individuals. Today, Anyone can calculate their personal carbon footprint or that of your work environment thanks to increasingly precise methods and tools.

The most popular standards Methodologies for measuring greenhouse gas emissions include the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1, which define how to analyze and report greenhouse gas emissions in organizations and products. Additionally, other methodologies, such as PAS 2050 and ISO/TS 14067, focus on product and service lifecycles.

In practice, exitsne three degrees of reach of the carbon footprint:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions (e.g. combustion of own fuels).
• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from consumption of purchased energy.
• Scope 3: Other indirect emissions, such as those generated by purchased products and services.

Calculating the full impact of a setup primarily involves considering Scopes 2 and 3, as most emissions come from power consumption and the device's lifecycle.

How to calculate the carbon footprint of your setup step by step

What is the formula for practically calculating the carbon footprint of your setup? The general process is divided into several steps: steps:

1. Obtain real energy consumption data for each device.
2. Determine the emissions associated with the generation of the energy consumed (depending on the country's energy mix).
3. Calculate embodied carbon, that is, the emissions generated during the manufacture of the equipment.
4. Add the impact of cloud services and other digital infrastructures.
5. Don't forget to include air conditioning from the workspace and travel.

Below, we explore each of these sections in detail, using real-life figures and examples to calculate your setup's carbon footprint:

Energy consumption of electronic devices

The basis of the calculation to measure the carbon footprint of your setup lies in knowing how much electricity your equipment consumes and peripherals. Although manufacturers often provide nominal values, it's most reliable to measure actual power consumption through practical tests.

For the final calculation, it is usually taken the average of the least efficient devices to ensure that we do not underestimate the global footprint of our setup.

The next step is convert this consumption into CO2 emissionsThis is done by multiplying the average consumption (in kWh) by the national electricity system's emissions factor. For example, for Spain in 2022, this factor is 0,17 kg CO2 equivalent/kWh.

Embodied Carbon: The Hidden Impact of Manufacturing Technology

we can not ignore the CO2 emitted during the manufacture of each piece of equipmentThis figure, sometimes published by the manufacturers themselves, is distributed over the product's useful life. If we amortize a laptop over 5 years, simply divide the total embodied carbon by the number of months of life to obtain the amount corresponding to each month of use. The same applies to monitors, peripherals, and other gadgets.

By adding the footprint of electricity consumption to the embodied carbon footprint, we obtain the total footprint of each device per month or per year, depending on the frequency we are calculating.

The cloud, the great forgotten in the digital carbon footprint

Working in the cloud has an environmental cost that often goes unnoticed.. Every file you share, every design in Figma, document in Google workspace or any stored digital resource, increases energy demand and, therefore, global emissions.

Calculating this impact is not easy, as official consumption data are scarce. Furthermore, The carbon footprint of digital infrastructure varies depending on the type of energy used by providers (cleaner or more fossil fuel-based) and the efficiency of their data centers.

Air conditioning of the work environment: one of the biggest contributors

Many people overlook the the great impact that air conditioning has on the total carbon footprintEspecially in remote work environments, where spending long hours at home means keeping the heating or air conditioning on for most of the day.

According to official data, The average total consumption per household in Spain is 0,852 tons of oil equivalent per year., almost half of which is used for air conditioning. This represents more than 63 kg of CO2 equivalent per month just to keep the space at a comfortable temperature.

Commuting: The cumulative impact of business travel

While teleworking drastically reduces travel, Occasional trips to the office or visits to clients also add significant emissions.For example, a typical scenario might include four car trips per month of 4 km each, along with one monthly train trip of 15 km. The impact is calculated by multiplying the distances traveled by the emission factors for each transport type (500 kg CO0,18/km for car, 2 kg CO0,031/km for train).

Together, these commutes can account for more than 40% of a digital worker's total carbon footprint.

How polluting is your setup really?

By integrating all the above concepts, a guide table can be constructed with the main sources of monthly emissions in a teleworking environment:

Concept	kg CO2 eq. /month	% of the total
Devices (consumption + embodied carbon)	10,96	8,33%
Work in the cloud	4,68	3,55%
Air conditioning of the environment	63,13	47,95%
Displacements	52,88	40,17%
TOTAL	131,65

As you see, Half of your setup's carbon footprint may be related solely to the air conditioning of the space., while technology itself (hardware and cloud) represents just 12%. Travel, whether by car or less sustainable means, can account for up to 40% of the monthly total.

Tools and methodologies for calculating the carbon footprint

There are various tools and platforms that help you calculate your setup's carbon footprint, from web solutions to specialized spreadsheets. Some of the most notable are:

• Official calculators such as that of the Ministry for Ecological Transition of Spain (MITECO), which uses updated data and internationally recognized methods.
• Tools like Climate & Circularity Calculator, which allow for an integrated analysis of the carbon footprint and other environmental indicators, both for organizations and for specific products.
• Own solutions from private entities, such as banks or technology companies committed to sustainability.

Some advanced applications also offer personalized recommendations for reducing and offsetting emissions, becoming essential allies for those who want to minimize their environmental impact.

How can we reduce the carbon footprint of our setup?

Knowing the carbon footprint of your setup is good, but the key is in act to reduce itHere are some realistic strategies:

• Optimize air conditioningImproving thermal insulation, using smart thermostats, and prioritizing renewable energy can lead to significant emissions savings.
• Choose efficient devices: Laptops with modern processors consume much less power.
• Extends the life of your hardware: Lengthening the technology renewal cycle reduces embodied carbon.
• Work with sustainable cloud providersMany large technology companies already offer information on the use of green energy in their data centers.
• Prioritize sustainable transportation: Take the train instead of a car or plane, and share rides whenever possible.
• Maintain responsible consumption habitsTurning off devices when not in use, reducing screen brightness, and unplugging chargers helps more than you might think.

After thoroughly analyzing all the factors that contribute to the carbon footprint of your setup, it is clear that The environmental impact goes far beyond the simple use of electronic devicesFrom the actual energy consumption of our equipment, to the carbon footprint of its manufacture, the role of cloud services, the importance of air conditioning, and the importance of travel—every detail counts when it comes to understanding and reducing our carbon footprint.