Kline is ready to take major steps toward reducing our carbon footprint – and eventually arriving at a net-zero destination.
To help accomplish our mission, we engaged Fokus Zukunft, an industry-independent and external sustainability consultancy, to provide a baseline measure of our carbon footprints and offer specific recommendations. The company evaluated our global operations in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most widely used and recognized international standard for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions of companies. We chose 2019 as the base year for evaluation (i.e., to mitigate results bias due to the COVID impact in 2020 and 2021) and covered all Kline global office locations and employees. Kline provided detailed data for each location, including emissions in three categories: heat and fuel consumption; electricity consumption and district heating/cooling/steam; and services and third-party services (e.g., business travel).
How did we do? Compared with other companies of similar size, the emission value per employee is in the middle range. But we can do better. Headed by VP Erin Durham, Kline’s Sustainability Task Force has decided to implement initiatives in three categories to help all of our offices and employees reduce carbon footprints:
Business travel: Teleconference will be the preferred option for client meetings. We’ll also replace short-distance flights with rail and limit the number of employees traveling to specific meetings.
Commuting: Kline is now offering hybrid and/or remote work, along with incentives to encourage the use of public transport and bicycles for commuting.
Recycling (and much more): Across the globe, our recycling policies will more stringent, beginning with the elimination of all disposable food and beverage utensils. We’ll also be measuring our consumption of kitchen fare and only purchasing the necessary amount to eliminate food waste. In addition, the Kline Flexitarian Club is ready to launch. Employees who join will commit to lessening their intake of meat on a flexible basis, going “vegetarian” just some days each week. We’ll share meat-less recipes, cheer each other on, and offer words of encouragement.
Finally, our New Jersey headquarters is making a major move toward sustainability – quite literally. Next month, the Garden State office is relocating to a building that features a solar array; in addition, there will be four charging stations for electric vehicles.
For more information on Kline’s overall sustainability efforts, head to our website. To obtain a copy of our carbon footprint report, contact Erin Durham at Erin.Durham@klinegroup.com.
