Air Pollution Footprint Partnership

Supporting good environmental, social, and governance values

Businesses across industry have a key role to play in reducing air pollution. Many activities including internal processes, production-related activities and/or wider supply chain logistics can and do generate both air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Despite this, current corporate reporting frameworks focus exclusively on measuring and reporting greenhouse emissions whilst air pollution and its impacts are not considered.

Proactive reporting on corporate air pollution emissions demonstrates good environmental, social, and governance values, appeals to socially responsible investors and consumers, and can inform activities to improve air quality in local neighbourhoods and communities. It also helps to improve the quality of life for those living and working nearby.

Broadening corporate GHG reporting to include pollutants that affect local air quality represents an important step-change in environmental reporting that supports better sustainability.

To support companies in reporting emissions of air pollutants together with greenhouse gases, Ricardo, in partnership with Impact on Urban Health and the Clean Air Fund, is developing a new approach to corporate emissions reporting.

To join the partnership or for more information, visist: www.air-pollution-footprint.net

Scoping study report: Company reporting of air-pollutant emissions: A scoping project

As part of the initial phase of work, a scoping study was carried out to establish what methods could be used for calculating air pollution emissions and how air pollution reporting could be integrated with GHG reporting. The study concluded that there were established methods for calculating air pollutant emissions that could be used for reporting, and that such methods could be used to build upon existing GHG reporting processes. However, to be useful, this approach would generally require more information to be collected.

Engagement with businesses indicated that there is a clear willingness amongst corporations to understand their air pollution emissions better, identify actions that could be taken to reduce emissions and how best to report these emissions alongside GHG emissions. A full copy of the scoping report can be found here.

To join the partnership or for more information, visist: www.air-pollution-footprint.net

Join the partnership

If your organisation is interested in taking part in the Air Pollution Footprint Partnership scheme, please visit www.air-pollution-footprint.net