ES3 continues to maintain environmentally conscious work practices that include paper, metal, and plastic recycling. ES3 is working to reduce our purchase of items that are packaged with single use plastics.
Offsetting our Carbon Footprint
At this time, ES3 does not purchase carbon credits through the voluntary compliance markets. Instead, ES3 has chosen to mitigate our carbon footprint by making contributions to institutions researching energy advancement and climate science.
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol categorizes a company’s GHG emissions as one of three “Scopes”. Scope 1 is classified as direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (i.e. mobile combustion, process emissions). Scope 2 emissions are classified as indirect emissions (i.e. purchased energy). Scope 3 emissions are all remaining indirect emissions not included in Scope 2 (i.e. business travel, distribution, shipping and logistics).
GHG emissions are commonly reported in metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). CO2e is a way to quantify and combine various greenhouse gasses, such as CO2, NH4, and N2O, into a singular unit. ES3’s GHG emissions for 2020 are broken down by scope as follows:
Scope 1 GHG emissions represent the smallest contributor to ES3’s carbon footprint and come from process emissions and ES3 owned and operated vehicles. These vehicles are used by ES3 staff transportation when working offsite, as well as pickup and delivery of products and materials. By limiting use of ES3’s 3 company owned vehicles to essential travel, as well as working out efficient logistics for deliveries and pick-ups, ES3s GHG emissions from company owned vehicles are well below the estimated US average of 4.6 MT CO2E per vehicle. During CY20 ES3 purchased an electric vehicle for employee travel as a step towards reducing GHG emissions.
Scope 2 emissions are ES3’s primary GHG contributor. Scope 2 emissions are highly variable from year to year and depend on factors such as company workload and even environmental and weather conditions. During CY20, ES3 installed new ventilation systems at our MRDC and Georgia facilities. These new HVAC systems will help maintain temperature conditions at the facilities, reducing the amount of energy required for heating and cooling the large manufacturing facilities.
ES3’s Scope 3 emissions are primarily due to business travel and shipping. During CY20, there was a decrease in business travel due to COVID-19 restrictions. Business travel was replaced with online video conference calling when possible.
ES3 will continue to maintain environmentally conscious work practices at all facilities located across the US. During CY20, ES3 purchased our first electric vehicle. Also in CY20, ES3 achieved an Environmental Management System (EMS) certification (ISO 14001:2015). With this certification, ES3 tracks and monitors various environmental metrics, including energy use and air emissions. The data obtained from the EMS is used by ES3 to raise the environmental awareness of our staff, help understand our environmental impact, ensure we meet all local, state, and federal regulations, and help us set realistic and attainable goals for reduction of GHG emissions.
ES3 reports a total GHG emission of 1,472.8 metric tons of CO2E for CY2020. On a per staff member basis, ES3 achieved a 2.1% reduction from CY2019.
For calendar year 2021, ES3 has set the following goals:
Scope 1 Reduction Solutions:
Scope 2 Reduction Solutions:
Scope 3 Reduction Solutions:
ES3 continues to maintain environmentally conscious work practices that include paper, metal, and plastic recycling. ES3 is working to reduce our purchase of items that are packaged with single use plastics.
Offsetting our Carbon Footprint
At this time, ES3 does not purchase carbon credits through the voluntary compliance markets. Instead, ES3 has chosen to mitigate our carbon footprint by making contributions to institutions researching energy advancement and climate science.
