05 Carbon Footprint

EUR aims to be carbon neutral by 2024. To achieve this goal, we are implementing sustainable policies and measures in the operational areas that emit CO₂. In our Sustainability Monitor, we present a dashboard where you can find data about our CO₂ emissions. The data reflect the influence of developments in recent years and are collected as accurately as possible.

This chapter presents an overview of EUR’s carbon footprint as well as the most recent related developments and carbon-saving achievements of 2022.

In calculating EUR’s carbon footprint, we use the method and standards developed by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG). The protocol comprises three scopes, with which specific emissions are associated:

• scope 1: direct emissions, over which the university has influence;

• scope 2: direct emissions from power generation, over which the university therefore has influence, but which are emitted outside its organisational boundaries; and

• scope 3: indirect emissions, over which the university has limited influence.

The image below shows the sources of the emissions.

On the basis of this classification, we developed our timeline of emissions with 2024 as our target year for achieving zero emissions for scope 1 and 2.

To interpret the data, we must understand the logic behind the figures and consider how they have been affected by recent events. To this end, we must answer the following questions: why is the timeline shaped like this?

Scope 1 is barely visible due to it's small size.

In 2021, the total reported carbon footprint of EUR was 8,800 tons of CO₂. This is equivalent to 61,599 flights to Paris or what almost 440,000 trees can compensate in one year. This is also more than the previous year's numbers. But what does that actually mean?

As EUR is working hard to achieve a sustainable campus and a lower carbon footprint, we measure the effectiveness of the current strategies and calculate the footprint annually. As the graphs show, the total emissions have expanded in 2021 in comparison to 2020. However, there is an explanation for that: the difference between scope 3 emissions in 2020 and 2021 is caused by the expansion of the scope.

So, more indicators have been included in scope 3. What this means is that the new Langeveld Building and indirect emissions from electricity, the work environment and ICT have been added in the 2021 footprint. Of course, COVID-19 still had a considerable impact in the year 2021 and therefore on the outcome of this year’s carbon footprint. So, the results for some categories may be lower than they would be normally.

The largest impact categories for 2021 are the building of the new Langeveld building, mobility (commuting of students and employees, and business travel) and heat consumption. However, the mobility categories have also been reduced the most, with a reduction of nearly 49%. The reduction is caused by the limited occupancy of the university due to COVID-19 and the focus on hybrid work and classes. 

*The figures of 2022 were not yet available when issuing this report. 

In 2022, we worked hard to take measures that will reduce our carbon footprint. You can read about these measures in the previous chapter, Operations. Most measures were implemented only recently, and we expect to see their effect reflected in the coming footprint calculations. Some examples of these measures are:

• a new business travel policy that promotes train use instead of air travel;
  
• our new composting machine, which reduces the waste stream and produces organic material for our campus garden;
• a competition between the largest schools to lower their carbon footprint by consuming more sustainably;
• sustainable events such as the Eurekaweek and the Opening of the Academic Year;
• the only EUR vehicle serving the campus now being zero emission;
• preparations for a reusable cup pilot (starting in January 2023).