University of Eastern Finland reduced its carbon footprint

The carbon footprint of the University of Eastern Finland in 2020 was significantly lower than in the previous year. In 2019, the carbon footprint was approximately 15,000 t CO2-eq (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), while last year’s carbon footprint was only approximately 12,000 t CO2-eq. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the year 2020 was exceptional in many ways, and this is also reflected in the carbon footprint. The key factors for the reduction of the carbon footprint were the changes that the coronavirus pandemic has caused in our ways of working. The calculations especially reflect the rapid decline in travel: the emissions from travel accounted for only 19 per cent of the previous year’s level. The calculations also clearly show the decreased carbon footprint of restaurant services, which resulted from the employees spending less time on campus and more time working remotely. On the other hand, the emissions from procurement increased slightly as more hygiene products, such as face masks and disinfectants, had to be purchased. 

The emissions from facilities also increased slightly. The heat supplier for the Joensuu Campus changed in 2020, and the new supplier used a different way of calculating the emission factors than the previous supplier. The calculation of emission factors is currently not bound by any national standard, so the companies’ calculations cannot yet be compared reliably. The heat consumption of the university’s facilities in 2020 was slightly lower than in the previous year, however, ventilation had to be ramped up due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this caused an increase in emissions.

Emissions will keep reducing due to increased multi-location work

In the spring, a commuter survey was conducted for university staff to assess the climate impact of journeys between home and campus. The assessment of emissions concerned time before the pandemic. Based on the survey responses, the amount of emissions generated during a journey between home and campus in normal time was approximately 1,100 t CO2-eq. The survey also asked the staff for their thoughts on how work-related travel will change after the pandemic. The results enabled assessing in advance how much the increase of remote working might reduce emissions. Based on the assessment, the emissions would be reduced by approximately 350 t CO2-eq. 

“This kind of survey work and follow-up measures are part of the university's sustainability and responsibility programme. In fact, one of the ways in which the survey results will be used is to improve the cycling conditions on campus,” says Sustainable Development Specialist Maiju Eskelinen. 

A similar survey will be conducted for students in autumn 2021. 

The University of Eastern Finland aims to be carbon neutral by the end of 2025. The carbon footprint is calculated annually. An extensive report on how the baseline has been calculated, discussing the various calculation methods and datasets used, has been published in Finnish. 

In the calculations for 2019, the carbon footprint of food was mainly estimated by European averages, as more detailed data were not available at the time. This time, more detailed estimates of the carbon footprint of food were available, and this has contributed to the smaller carbon footprint. The baseline for the carbon footprint for 2019 was also recalculated with these more accurate factors under the GHG Protocol. Initially, the baseline for the university’s carbon footprint was approximately 16,000 t CO2-eq, but the recalculated footprint was roughly 1,000 t CO2-eq smaller.