Setting an emissions reduction target on the Plan A Sustainability Platform is simple. This article will show you how to do so, and explain the key elements required.
However, first, you should make sure that the necessary groundwork has been done, and you are ready to set a target. Here is a checklist of all that needs to be done before:
Decide on a baseline year and calculate your baseline year emissions
Decide on a target type
Involve your top-level management in the decision-making process (let us know if and how we can help!)
Please note that only absolute reduction targets can be implemented directly on the Plan A Sustainability Platform. If you are interested in more complex target-setting packages, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or our Support Team.
Setting a Target
Navigate to the 'Reduce Emissions' dashboard and select the 'Targets' tab. From here, click 'Set Target'.
In the pop-up box that appears, you will need select whether you will set an absolute reduction or an intensity target and fill in the necessary information.
Not sure which target type to select? Take a look at our article on target types to determine which is right for your organisation.
Set an absolute reduction target
Set an absolute reduction target
To set an absolute reduction target, fill in the following information and click 'Set target'.
Target name
Your target name can be anything. It should, however, make it easy for you and your colleagues to identify it later. Its main purpose is to distinguish between multiple targets you may have (e.g. one target for Scopes 1 and 2 and another target for Scope 3, or splitting up a company target into multiple facility targets).
SBT (Science-Based Targets)
Should your target be science-based? Our recommendation is "yes" but there are a number of considerations you should take into account when deciding on whether or not to go with a science-based approach. To find out more, see our article on science-based targets.
If you do opt to make your target science-based, check the SBT box. You will need to select the bracket that matches your employee count as well as your company industry. These inputs determine whether Scope 3 is mandatory to include in your science-based target or not.
Baseline & Target year
Your baseline year is the year you choose to represent a typical amount of annual emissions before decarbonisation. Your targets will be based on a percentage reduction from this year's emissions. Likewise, your target year is the year you wish to reach a certain emissions reduction amount by.
Please note that for Science-based Targets, there should be at least 5 years between baseline and target years.
Scope selection
Select here which scopes of emissions your target should consider.
Emission reduction percentage
And finally, here you can enter the percentage you wish to reduce your baseline year emissions by. This must be a number between 1 and 100.
For Science-Based Targets, this will be automatically set to 42%, following consensus that private sector emissions need to be reduced by 42% by 2030 to avoid global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Set an intensity target
Set an intensity target
To set an absolute reduction target, fill in the following information and click 'Set target'.
Target name
Your target name can be anything. It should, however, make it easy for you and your colleagues to identify it later. Its main purpose is to distinguish between multiple targets you may have (e.g. one target for Scopes 1 and 2 and another target for Scope 3, or splitting up a company target into multiple facility targets).
Baseline & Target year
Your baseline year is the year you choose to represent a typical amount of annual emissions before decarbonisation. Your targets will be based on a percentage reduction from this year's emissions. Likewise, your target year is the year you wish to reach a certain emissions reduction amount by.
Scope selection
All scopes of emissions are automatically selected for intensity targets.
Emission reduction percentage
And finally, here you can enter the percentage you wish to reduce your emissions intensity (co2e/FTE) by. This must be a number between 1 and 100.
Review and edit targets
All of the targets you set will appear in the Targets page, displaying the Target type, reduction ambition (percentage), scopes included, and the timeframe.
To edit your targets, simply click the 3 dots on the right of the relevant target and select 'edit target'.
