Over the past year, Combient Pure has run a program for Combient companies for peer-to-peer sharing on reducing value chain emissions. The Scope 3 Decarbonization Accelerator brought together 133 participants from 31 companies for four workshops and two deep dive sessions focused on Scope 3 actions, regulation, data, and business case calculations.
Our key takeaway from running the 8-month long program? The real challenge of accelerating Scope 3 reductions lies in the nuances of human collaboration: effectively collaborating inside companies, connecting climate to business models, and reaching across industries to share in the risk-taking Scope 3 work requires.
Key takeaway 1: Scope 3 success requires all hands on deck, not just those with sustainability in their title
The Accelerator aimed to bring together different organizational functions - after all, as highlighted in each workshop, value emission reductions hinge on every part of the organization doing its part. However sustainability functions remained overrepresented in the Accelerator in terms of participation, with only one or two individuals from outside sustainability participating. As a result, the roundtable discussions very often went straight into the deep end of in-house sustainability experts debating the technical details of Scope 3 work.
Talking with peers from different companies can help sustainability experts discover new tools for their work. But the larger challenge for Scope 3 remains in getting these experts to sit at the same table with colleagues in their own company to coordinate solutions to Scope 3 challenges. Decarbonization needs to be translated into the jargon, priorities, and incentives of all those whose work impacts emissions. Sustainability cannot remain siloed: only once Scope 3 work is orchestrated and resourced across all functions will climate goals be achievable.
Key takeaway 2: Data is an easy roadblock to focus on, but the focus needs to shift to the bigger picture
One thing is abundantly clear from the past year of working with Combient companies on Scope 3 topics: data questions will always be on the table. The Accelerator session on Scope 3 data was by far the most popular one in terms of attendance. Even in other sessions, not one roundtable discussion steered clear of the topic - even when the headline theme or discussion prompts did not mention data.
Emissions data is essential for making informed decisions, identifying impactful actions, and tracking progress. But do we focus on data because it is the most critical element to effectively reducing Scope 3 emissions? Or do we focus on data because it is an area in which we can clearly articulate problems, establish milestones, and assign responsibilities - something that can feel prohibitively difficult in other areas of Scope 3 work?
There is a distinct lack of discussion and collaboration around more complex Scope 3 action, like how to transform business models and align climate and financial metrics. Business case calculations are still glaringly missing from the Scope 3 discussion, even though integrating climate risks and opportunities into financial models are key to ensuring progress on climate targets and keeping the business resilient and relevant in the future.
Alongside emissions data, we need to translate CO2 into a financial language: quantifying the upfront costs of decarbonizing, the long-term value of low-carbon innovation, and the cost of inaction to provide an honest look at whether company prioritization and resourcing is keeping up with the stated climate ambition, and the realities of how the world is changing.
Key takeaway 3: One company can’t change the world, so let’s do it together
The recurring wish from company representatives in the Accelerator series was to hear about best practices for effective value chain decarbonization. Companies know where their largest emission sources are, and what actions are needed to reduce them - but want to take notes from someone who has already successfully implemented these actions.
Unfortunately, in many cases, these best practices are still taking shape. Finding the most effective or “best” ways to decarbonize value chains requires, above all, a fair amount of testing and iterating. The missing piece to accelerating companies’ Scope 3 reductions is not more tools or better quality emissions data: it is risk-taking appetite. The climate crisis demands quick, system-wide transformation. Will we wait for “someone else” to take the leap and make the first mistakes, or can we join forces across organizations and industries and together take a leap towards a low carbon, more sustainable, world?
