Sarlin’s carbon handprint is verifiably positive – our services produce beneficial environmental impacts

The carbon handprint has gained popularity in recent years as an environmental indicator for evaluating the positive climate impacts of products and services. Contrary to the carbon footprint that measures current negative impacts from emissions, the handprint emphasises positive future environmental impacts.

For example, a positive carbon handprint is created when a solution reduces a customer’s emissions. The purpose of the carbon handprint is to analyse the full life cycle of a product or service, including production, emissions during use, disposal, and so on. In other words, just reducing the carbon footprint of our own operations is not sufficient to grow our carbon handprint.

We can only mitigate the effects of climate change if we can achieve a greater carbon handprint compared to the carbon footprint.

Calculations based on an international standard

Carbon handprint calculations involve multiple layers and are based on the internationally standardised Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Based on the above, three different categories were used to calculate the emissions of Sarlin.

1. “Scope 1” includes the direct emissions of a company’s operations such as those of its own energy production, properties and vehicles.
2. “Scope 2” includes indirect emissions produced by purchased energy (electricity, heating and cooling).
3. "Scope 3” includes all other indirect emissions produced as a result of the organisation’s activities such as business trips, logistics and waste management.

In addition to the GHG Protocol, quality standards and certificates relevant for Sarlin's operations were used for the calculations, as well as emission factors specified by the Finnish Environmental Institute and Motiva, a state-owned sustainable development company. Among other things, our emissions were evaluated and verified by using subcontractor reporting services.

A positive carbon handprint is created when the emission reductions of our services outperform those of comparable services.

The calculations included the full range of our services:

1. Sarlin Balance, a control system for compressors that enables continuous energy savings and compressed air use optimisation.
2. Biogas services, including purification, upgrading and liquefaction plants. Biogas is a renewable energy source that can be produced locally in Finland.
3. Water treatment technologies for improved methane processing.
4. Gas filling station delivery and maintenance services, which are fundamental for operating the gas network and growing it for widespread national use.

The greatest advantage of the carbon handprint is reflected in customer business. We help our customers choose more environmentally friendly solutions.

To quote Misenko, lowering operational emissions will be a fundamental requirement for future competitive ability. “Energy-efficient services yield cost savings, for example, as we help our customers save on energy costs.”

Our services also help our customers move away from combustion-based energy use to achieve carbon neutrality targets, for example.

Everyone at Sarlin can take pride in the work done to achieve our positive carbon handprint – for years we have produced solutions that help reduce emissions.

Above all, the carbon handprint is a tool for development that we can use to guide our actions.

“These calculations give us a better overview of the environmental impacts of our operations, and we can use the data to improve our business in light of the relevant functions,” says Misenko.

In future, we will keep an eye on both reducing the carbon footprint and increasing the positive carbon handprint of our operations. We may take measures ranging from product development to daily choices such as what vehicles we use and where the energy of our offices comes from.

We have long been pioneers in many sectors of Finnish industry, including the development of more environmentally friendly biogas and more energy-efficient compressed air. Even now, we require a higher standard of sustainability from our partners than the statutory minimum.

“We’re planning to develop our sustainability reporting in the future, although there is no legal obligation for now for companies of our size. However, we believe it to be in line with our values to communicate our sustainability figures.”

Sustainability is fast becoming the norm, and customers and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding and expect concrete action.

“Environmental liability is very much a reality of today, and the fact is that responsible companies are more attractive for both employees and customers.”

“Calculations are one way to prove that we are actually working to support sustainability. My recommendation for every business is to calculate your carbon footprint because the tools are available and standardised,” Misenko says.

Learn more about sustainability at Sarlin here.

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