Sayari’s Carbon Footprint in 2024
We set the benchmark!
This year Sayari establishes its first carbon benchmark, an essential step in measuring our impact on the climate. By identifying our main sources of emissions, we are demonstrating our commitment to the environment, in line with our mission to help our customers build a more responsible future.
In this article, we present the results of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment. If you’re also interested in the detailed calculation method, you’ll find everything explained in our article here. 👈
Our GHG Emissions – 2024 Overview
Key Findings
In total, Sayari emitted 5.8 tonnes of GHGs (in CO₂ equivalent) over the year of 2024.
These emissions are distributed across the following categories:
Figure 1: Sayari’s 2024 Carbon Footprint by Emission Source, according to the BEGES methodology [1]
Food-related emissions are not explicitly included in the methodology; we have included them under the category “Other.”
Key takeaways:
➡️ Home heating during remote work is one of our main sources of emissions. This category generates significantly more emissions than commuting, as most of the team uses low-impact transportation.
➡️ Food consumption at work is far from negligible compared to out other emission sources.
➡️ One of our largest emission sources, service purchases, is calculated using economic data and sector-based emission factors. For example, we collaborate on certain projects with Junior Enterprises, which may lead to an overestimation of the emissions from these activities.
We also analyzed how our emissions evolved over the course of the year:
Figure 2: Sayari’s Monthly GHG Emissions in 2024
Our Analysis
- Unsurprisingly, we found that a single flight to attend a conference emits significantly more GHGs than four round trips to Barcelona by train for another conference.
- August and December show relatively low emissions, due to annual leave periods and reduced activity.
- Depreciation of our capitalized IT equipment, spread evenly over the year, accounts for 10% of our total emissions.
Learnings and Prospects
Above all, we wanted this carbon footprint assessment to be an opportunity to raise awareness within the team about climate issues. Approaching the topic through our own emissions—with concrete figures—proved to be a very valuable and insightful experience.
➡️ We observed a significant disparity in emissions from commuting, which provided a great opportunity to discuss low-impact transportation options with the team.
➡️ We were able to discuss and revisit some assumptions we had before conducting the assessment, such as “Working from home is better for the climate because it reduces emissions from commuting.” This isn’t necessarily true in winter, when the additional home heating emissions can outweigh the emissions saved from low impact commuting for some team members.
➡️ We raised the team’s awareness about the lifespan of our IT equipment: at Sayari, we prioritize repairing our devices, favor refurbished equipment when possible, and are careful with office supplies, photocopies, and so on.
➡️ We highlighted the significance of emissions related to our food consumption compared to other emission sources.
Looking ahead, we have identified several next steps:
➡️ Continue prioritizing low-impact transportation for our business trips, especially when attending conferences in Europe or (more challenging) elsewhere in the world. For example, we travelled by train to the SETAC conference held in Vienna last May. When no alternative to flying is possible, we will minimize the number of people traveling.
➡️ Keep raising awareness among team members about heating, transportation choices, food consumption, consumption of goods, and more.
➡️ Conduct our 2025 carbon footprint assessment, improve the data collected—especially regarding team members’ heating—and refine, if possible, the data from our service providers (our main emission sources).
Going a bit further…
Our footprint currently includes only the emissions directly related to banking services themselves (management fees). However, through their investments and financing, banks support sectors with varying levels of GHG emissions.
Some websites offer calculators to estimate these “indirect” emissions, based on data published by banks, such as the share of their financing directed toward polluting sectors like fossil fuels. These tools aim to raise awareness among individuals about the climate impact of their savings and encourage greater transparency and responsibility from banks [2].
We gave it a try to compare these estimates with our own carbon footprint. According to these calculators, the emissions potentially linked to Sayari’s money held in banks would far exceed our own annual carbon footprint.
👉 Have you ever thought about the carbon impact of your professional activity? Would you like to understand how we carried out this carbon footprint assessment?
We explain everything in our blog article here.
Would you like to learn more about our carbon footprint or measure your own environmental impact? Contact us!
Sources
[1] Method for Conducting Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories, ADEME, version 5 (July 2022), available on the website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
[2] https://bonpote.com/changer-de-banque-pour-sortir-des-energies-fossiles/
Member of the European PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) Technical Advisory Board.
Member of the French ADEME environmental labelling working group.
