Thanks to the thematic objectives, institutions can assess their current situation and define their own specific measures.
to develop and implement their action plan.
The actions suggested below will help you discover the measures that may already be in place.
Based on this assessment, institutions can define their own action plan to achieve customised objectives.
for year 1, year 3 and year 5 of their climate journey.
Seasonality refers to the natural production cycle of fruit and vegetables in their country of agricultural production. This means that a “seasonal” product is not grown in an artificially heated greenhouse. However, “seasonality” does not necessarily mean “regionality”. In winter, for example, it is easy to find Swiss tomatoes grown in heated greenhouses, which are local but out of season.
When discussing seasonality, we can distinguish between two categories of fruit and vegetables:
Fruit and vegetables that can be grown locally: in this case, it is advisable to consume them as much as possible according to the local natural cycle and to refer to seasonal calendars.
Fruit and vegetables that cannot be grown locally: these are mainly exotic products that are rarely grown in heated greenhouses.
Swiss frozen, dried or canned fruit and vegetables can be considered “seasonal” because they are rarely grown in heated greenhouses for this type of processing.
It is essential to promote food traceability. “Regional” and “local” products benefit from shorter transport routes and are therefore fresher. Agricultural raw materials originate in the region, i.e. they are grown, reared or fished there. However, the term “local” does not refer to the place where the product is processed, prepared and packaged.
In general, the origin is information that is often available on whole food products. However, the more processed the product is and the more ingredients it contains, the more difficult it is to ensure its traceability. From an environmental perspective, taking origin into account involves taking action on:
• The distance travelled by raw materials (number of kilometres)
• Mode of transport (proximity reduces the use of air transport)
• Le mode de production (via la législation agricole régissant la production alimentaire :
« Prestations Écologiques Requises » ou « PER » en Suisse) : plus on favorise les produits régionaux et locaux, plus les conditions de culture peuvent être rigoureuses.
Agricultural production methods encompass various aspects such as cultivation methods (management of fertilisers and plant protection products, soil and water management, maintenance of biodiversity) and livestock farming methods (animal welfare, use of resources, greenhouse gas emissions), and have an impact on working conditions.
Bourgeon Bio (Swiss and imported products)
Demeter (Swiss and imported products)
EU Organic / AB bio (imported products)
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A full description of each of these labels is available at labelinfo.ch
Sustainable food goes hand in hand with animal welfare. Choose animal products from farming programmes that take animal welfare into account as much as possible.
Sustainable food goes hand in hand with animal welfare. Choose animal products from farming programmes that take animal welfare into account as much as possible.
When it is not possible to purchase seasonal Swiss products, especially for products that come from far away (typically exotic fruits, but also coffee, tea, rice, orange juice, etc.), certain labels guarantee greater respect for the environment and people.
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Encontrará más detalles sobre los requisitos de estas etiquetas en labelinfo.ch
Consuming sufficient protein from multiple sources is essential for a balanced diet. However, excessive consumption of animal products puts considerable pressure on natural resources, the climate, animal welfare and our health. Consuming animal protein sparingly while increasing the proportion of plant-based protein is the key to healthier, more environmentally friendly and more ethical meals.
A healthy diet, i.e. one that is balanced and varied, helps prevent diet-related diseases. However, many people in Switzerland today consume too much salt, sugar and fat. This promotes diseases such as diabetes and obesity, as well as cardiovascular problems. To remedy this, various national and international institutions issue recommendations on nutritional intake.
En Suisse, 28% de l’impact environnemental est lié à l’alimentation. Or, une grande partie des aliments produits n’est même pas consommée : c’est ce qu’on appelle le gaspillage alimentaire. Ce phénomène se produit à différents stades de la chaîne alimentaire, de la production primaire à la consommation, en passant par la transformation et la vente. Le gaspillage alimentaire équivaut à une perte de ressources précieuses (terres agricoles, eau, énergie, produits phytosanitaires, engrais), mais aussi d’argent et de main-d’œuvre. Il s’agit en outre d’une source de pollution inutile et évitable.
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L’objectif principal de l’emballage est d’assurer la conservation des aliments (et donc d’éviter autant que possible les déchets alimentaires). Cependant, une grande partie de l’emballage peut être évitée, en particulier pour les boissons en bouteille. Il convient également de noter que pour les produits alimentaires, l’impact environnemental de la production alimentaire est beaucoup plus important que celui de l’emballage, alors que pour les boissons, c’est souvent l’inverse.
With the considerable increase in takeaway food and drinks, the amount of waste has become a growing concern. Non-renewable resources such as sand (needed to make glass), aluminium (tin cans) and oil (plastic) are being overexploited and often extracted in unsustainable ways. Most of this waste is difficult to recycle and causes significant pollution once it ends up in the environment.
Single-use consumables such as straws, napkins, chopsticks, coasters, etc. can represent significant volumes.
Les coûts énergétiques dans les cuisines sont relativement faibles par rapport à d’autres dépenses liées au personnel, aux produits ou au loyer. Cependant, le potentiel d’économie est élevé – jusqu’à 40 % – et peut être facilement mis en œuvre avec les conseils appropriés et de petits changements de comportement. Près de la moitié des économies d’énergie peuvent déjà être réalisées grâce aux technologies modernes. Une utilisation correcte des équipements peut également conduire à des économies massives, par exemple en éteignant les équipements pendant les périodes d’inactivité.
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Cleaning products include hand soaps, dishwashing products, washing and cleaning products. They are not harmless, either to the environment or to health: micropollutants can contaminate lakes, rivers and groundwater. In addition, many of these products can cause respiratory problems or skin irritation, for example. Some substances are also harmful to the micro-organisms that treat wastewater.
2050Today Charter © 2023 by 2050Today is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The perimeter of 2050Today inventory is set to the purchase of grid electricity (in kWh) directly by the institution or through the entity managing the facility. If electricity is produced (through solar photovoltaic panels for instance) and consumed on-site, it is also considered in the inventory. All emissions from grid electricity purchased & consumed by the institution belong to Scope 2. Among the on-site produced & consumed electricity, emissions from combined heat & power installation, oil and natural gas belong to Scope 1.
According to the GHG Protocol, if an institution can be provided with product-specific data in the form of guarantees of origin, certificates, contracts, or other contractual instruments, it will report two scope 2 totals for the overall GHG inventory: one market-based, and one location-based. To be as accurate as possible the physical reality of GHG emissions, 2050Today reports location-based emissions.
The location-based method is calculated using Horocarbon UNIGE assessment tool to measure the grid average emission factor for Geneva.
We have further categorized the electricity purchased from the grid based on its source. For the electricity purchased from SIG, it includes different types of products such as Electricité Vitale Bleu or Electricité Vitale Soleil. There may also be a portion of electricity sourced from coal, oil, solar, or wind power. In this inventory, institutions can fill in the corresponding table with data based on the generation source of the electricity they have purchased.
2050Today’s carbon footprint methodology considers only the location-based method, or in other words grid electricity emissions. Product-specific data can be provided through the data entry form for information purposes and referenced accordingly but not considered in GHG calculations.
For this category, the amount of the energy source consumed to heat and/or cool the institution’s building area are included (e.g., liters of heating oil, m3 of natural gas, kWh of electricity). If the institution is benefiting from GeniLac, it can indicate the total quantity of water that was used by the system during the year.
If one institution purchases heating or cooling services from district heating or SIG product, this portion of emissions would belong to Scope 2. If one institution generates heating or cooling on site from energy sources like natural gas or oil, this portion of emissions would belong to Scope 1. We also categorized the heating & cooling based on its source, so that institutions can fill in the corresponding table with data based on the generation source.
The cooling perimeter also includes the use of refrigerants for air conditioning. If the refrigerants which belong to GHG are leaked or released into the atmosphere directly, this portion of emission belongs to Scope 1. If we consider the value chain of production of refrigerants, it belongs to Scope 3.
The perimeter of the 2050Today inventory is set to water consumption by the institution. The method requires the collection of data on water in m3 or in liters. Emissions from water consumption belong to Scope 3.
The Mobility sector is separated into two categories based on the ownership of the vehicles. Emissions from transportation in vehicles owned or leased by the institution are accounted either in Scope 1 (for fuel use) or Scope 2 (for electricity use), while emissions from transportation in vehicles not controlled by the institution (e.g., employees business travel & employee commuting) are part of Scope 3 GHG emissions The institution should be particularly careful if it owns electric vehicles as to avoid double counting of GHG emissions (electricity consumption of electric vehicles could be already included in building electricity consumption).
Data on employees commuting trips is collected through an online flash questionnaire that is sent directly to institutions’ employees. The data in this section is part of Scope 3 GHG emissions, Category 7 (Employee Commuting). This anonymous data is processed directly by 2050Today and will be reported in the calculation of the institutions’ global carbon footprint.
A summary of the vehicle fleet is demanded, and the method requires the collection of data on distances travelled (km) or on fuel usage (kWh of electricity or liters of petrol, diesel, natural gas or biofuel) per vehicle type.
Employee business travels and employee commuting trips data are collected for reporting. The data in this section is part of Scope 3 GHG emissions, Category 6 (Business Travel). Data on terrestrial mobility, similarly to institution owned vehicles data, is collected for distances travelled (km) or for fuel usage (kWh of electricity or liters of petrol, diesel, natural gas or biofuel) per vehicle type. For aerial mobility, the method requires the institution to share information on distances travelled (cumulated km) and/or associated GHG emissions (tCO2-eq.). The share of compensated flights can also be inserted into the form.
For flights, 2050Today uses the Mobitool version 3.0 factors to estimate GHG emissions. The calculation is based on the Atmosfair method which includes the ICAO references and method. In addition to the pure CO2 emissions there are also non-CO2 emissions for flights, which are also recorded, calculated and reported with their climate impact in the Atmosfair method. It uses state of the art of climate science according to IPCC and peer reviewed literature.
The number of nights employees stayed at a hotel in the context of a business trip are included in the Mobility perimeter. This portion of emissions belong to Scope 3.
This sector includes indicators on the consumption of food and drink items offered by the institution. It includes food and drinks provided at the institution’s cafeteria and/or during in-house events. These indicators are also part of Scope 3 emissions, Category 1 with a “cradle to gate” boundary. Individual food consumption by employees during working hours is also measured.
In this sector, 2050today also use the Average-data method.
The parameter of this sector is set to a list of new office equipment, new mobility equipment (vehicles) and construction materials. Listed indicators are part of Scope 3 GHG emissions, category 1 (Purchased goods and services) with a “cradle to gate” or “upstream” boundary (extraction, production and transportation of goods purchased or acquired by the reporting institution during the year).
To calculate emissions from purchased goods and services, 2050today use the Average-data method, which means estimating emissions for goods and services by collecting data on the mass (e.g., kilograms or pounds), or other relevant units of goods or services purchased and multiplying by the relevant secondary (e.g., industry average) emission factors (e.g., average emissions per unit of good or service).
The perimeter of the 2050Today waste inventory is set to waste production from facilities and internal operations of the institution during the reported year. Only waste treatment in facilities owned or operated by third parties is included in scope 3. The method requires the collection of data on waste quantities by waste type (e.g., Paper, PET, Metal, Biodegradable) and by type of treatment and disposal (Recycled/re-used and not recycled). The waste inventory is part of Scope 3 emissions, Category 5 (Waste generated in operations). Treatment of waste generated in operations is categorized as an upstream scope 3 category because waste management services are purchased by the reporting institution.