Evaluation

Integrate sustainability criteria and measurable indicators into the quality assurance plan

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Objectives

• Calculate the CO2 emissions that arise from commuting in the course of a project or a working year in an organisation
• Ultimately: provoke a change in behaviour to shift towards more environmentally friendly means of transport

Green Value indicator

CO2 savings

Explanation

Monitor the mode of transportation of the employees working on the project - some kind of transportation/commuting diary analogous to your timesheets.
This could even be mentioned in the agreement/application: “the partners pledge to monitor their CO2 emissions generated through transport in the course of the project”.

It sounds like a huge effort, but it is quite simple: We know how many days we work on a specific project. Each project could include a self-assessment or an additional excel-sheet where the daily commuting distance and the means of transportation are listed:

• car (shared or single occupation)
• public transport
• non-motorised (bike, walking).

The aim is to estimate the CO2 emissions that arise from commuting in the course of the project. If someone uses the same means of transport every day it is very easy to calculate. Otherwise, a diary, a table or excel sheet can be used to collect the data.

In the end, there could be a ranking between organisations participating in the project: which one has the lowest CO2 footprint in terms of transportation, but also a score for the overall project: how much CO2 was emitted for transportation during the course of the project? The project application could also incorporate a certain value that should not be exceeded in the course of the project. The ultimate goal is to reduce CO2 emissions and to provoke a change in behaviour.

PROS/CONS of the action

Pros:

• easy to calculate with CO2 calculator
• ranking/scoring could turn it into a friendly competition: could incentivise modes of transport that save CO2
• stimulates thinking about sustainability/CO2 emissions
• could lead to a change in behaviour

Cons:

• could mean additional monitoring, and thus additional work
• local and personal conditions are very unequal: people with disabilities might be dependent on cars, women might experience harassment while cycling and cycling is still dangerous in some cities
• could appear odd in an official application

Certified

Not Certified

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