HDR's Carbon Footprint

HDR's Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is the measure of human activity quantified in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and converted to a standard unit of measure expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). It is becoming the industry standard to establish an initial GHG baseline, and then to calculate an annual GHG inventory as a means to measure progress towards meeting internal sustainability goals. There are multiple benefits to developing an annual GHG inventory—it allows us to identify the greatest sources of GHG emissions within our organization, establish a basis for developing sustainability strategies, set goals and targets for future reductions, and track progress in reducing emissions and towards meeting other sustainability goals, such as energy and cost savings.

HDR began assessing GHG emissions in 2006, and in 2008 developed our first carbon footprint. The 2008 inventory included emissions sources such as electricity and natural gas consumption, employee commute and business travel. It included fewer emissions sources than the current inventory based on the availability of quality data at the time, and it was conducted in a spreadsheet format. In 2011, HDR selected the carbon accounting software, Mosaic—offered by Renewable Choice Energy, to upload data and automate much of our data collection and overall calculation. Mosaic has a user-friendly interface, automated calculations, and a helpful decision-making dashboard. The software performs all of the conversions and calculations necessary to turn HDR's raw data into a GHG inventory that is compliant with international protocols.

Many more emissions sources are included in the 2011 inventory due to the increased availability of data, and recent improvements in international GHG accounting methodologies for Scope 3 emissions. Because of the confidence in the accuracy and completeness of the 2011 inventory, HDR plans to use it as the official GHG baseline.

HDR's Carbon Footprint

2011 GHG inventory results reported as an average per office: 349 MTCO2e (measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) based on 205 offices.

HDR's Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Target 

HDR has set a target to reduce GHG emission levels 20 percent by 2020 from our 2011 baseline, adjusted for growth. 

This goal was developed based on assessing the goals and targets of other similar firms in our industry as well as assessing national and international emissions reduction targets. We will achieve this reduction through targeted investments in our company operations, improved sustainable business practices, as well as educational and awareness initiatives. 

HDR's 2011 Emissions Sources include:

Largest emission sources:

  • Office electricity consumption
  • Business travel, including air travel, hotel nights, rental cars, personal vehicle use for business
  • Employee commute

Others:

  • Natural gas consumption
  • Purchased products and materials, including paper and electronics
  • Leased and owned vehicles 
  • Headquarter parking shuttle 
  • Company vehicle fleet gasoline purchases 
  • Fugitive emissions from refrigerants and HVAC on our headquarters campus

Details about our carbon footprint are published in HDR's Sustainability + Corporate Responsibility Report.