Sustainable Investing

Carbon footprint

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by an individual, company or country over a set time period. Although the term implies primarily the emission of carbon dioxide, it is now often taken to include all gases which cause global warming through the greenhouse effect. This includes the more common industrially emitted gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide, and methane which is produced by farm animals. As such, the term can also be referred to as a greenhouse gas footprint.

Carbon neutrality

All human activity creates a carbon footprint, from breathing out to generating electricity, farming, or making a product. Greenhouse gas emissions over many centuries have been proven to warm the planet as they absorb and radiate heat within the enclosed atmosphere of the Earth. The issue in the battle to combat global warming is whether these footprints can be reduced enough to stop global warming getting out of control. For this, carbon neutrality is required. This means that a country does not generate more greenhouse gas emissions than it is able to absorb, either naturally through plant and water cover, or mechanically through carbon capture.

Several nations and blocs such as the EU have already committed to becoming carbon neutral (‘net zero’); most have used the Paris Agreement target of 2050, though some smaller nations such as Austria and Uruguay have set a more ambitious target of 2040. China, which has the world’s largest carbon footprint, has pledged to do so by 2060. Aside from cutting emissions by decarbonizing, many countries are investing in tree plantations and carbon capture systems as part of their neutralization efforts.

Creating returns that benefit the world we live in

Decarbonizing operations

Carbon neutrality for companies essentially means decarbonizing operations to reduce emissions. This is often being done by replacing energy sources derived from fossil fuels with renewable energy, and by finding suppliers who use less carbon-intensive components. This is easier for some industries than others – a carmaker can switch their models from the internal combustion engine to battery-powered vehicles, but this cannot currently be done by airlines.


Measure carbon footprints

Carbon footprints at companies can be measured by using three ways in which greenhouse gas emissions are generated: Scope 1, 2 and 3.

Scope 1 emissions are those that are directly generated by the company, such as an airline emitting exhaust fumes.

Scope 2 emissions are those that are created by the generation of the electricity or heat needed by the company to produce its main products. An electricity utility would therefore have relatively low Scope 1 emissions caused by its infrastructure or grid, but high Scope 2 emissions if its power came from the burning of fossil fuels rather than from renewable sources.

Scope 3 emissions are those caused by the entire value chain, including the end-user of the product over its life cycle, and are much more difficult to measure. A carmaker would have relatively low Scope 1 and 2 emissions when making the car, but if the user of the vehicle burned petrol to run the car over many years, they would cause very high Scope 3 emissions.

Let's keep the conversation going

Keep track of fast-moving events in sustainable and quantitative investing, trends and credits with our newsletters.

Don’t miss out
Robeco

Robeco aims to enable its clients to achieve their financial and sustainability goals by providing superior investment returns and solutions.

Important information This disclaimer applies to any documents and the verbal or written comments of any person in presentations or webinars on this website and taken together is referred to herein as the “Information”. The services to which the Information relate are NOT FOR RETAIL CLIENTS - The information contained in the Website is solely intended for professional investors, defined as investors which (1) qualify as professional clients within the meaning of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), (2) have requested to be treated as professional clients within the meaning of the MiFID or (3) are authorized to receive such information under any other applicable laws and must not be relied or acted upon by any other persons. This Information does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any financial product, and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any financial product. You are cautioned against using this Information as the basis for making a decision to purchase any financial product. To the extent that you rely on the Information in connection with any investment decision, you do so at your own risk. The Information does not purport to be complete on any topic addressed. The Information may contain data or analysis prepared by third parties and no representation or warranty about the accuracy of such data or analysis is provided.
In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management UK Limited (“RIAM UK”) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. RIAM UK, 30 Fenchurch Street, Part Level 8, London EC3M 3BD (FCA Reference No:1007814). The company is registered in England and Wales under Ref No. 15362605.

In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. is authorised as a manager of UCITS and AIFs by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and subject to limited regulation in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.