Decarbonisation plan in the professional distribution sector

Data management for the calculation of the base year and subsequent year carbon footprint and the development of a comprehensive emissions reduction plan in line with SBTi for a large distributor of plumbing, HVAC and electrical equipment.

The challenge

With more than 100 years operating in the professional distribution sector, the multinational GC-Gruppe has more than 400 points of sale in 15 European countries. In Spain, GC-Gruppe has been present since 2013, operating through the companies TECLISA LEVANTE SL, TECNIQUES DE CLIMA I SANITARI SL, TECLISA ILLES BALEARS SL, C&G DOMOTICA ESPAÑA S.L., EQUIPAMENTS SIA BIOSCA SL, with more than 30 points of sale. Based on a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, GC Gruppe has decided to define a comprehensive action plan, thus anticipating the regulatory tide of sustainability that is coming from the European Union. In addition to this, they want to set reduction targets for the company's activity.

Given this, the problem is clear: how to manage the collection of data for footprint calculation, and how to choose an achievable reduction target?

The solution

To achieve the objectives, we first resorted to understanding the company's data management system, in order to create an efficient data collection system tailored to the organisation. The information included all points of sale, and all scopes of the carbon footprint.

Following the applicable standard, ISO 14064-1:2018, and the SBTi basis, the carbon footprint was calculated for the base year and the year after. As a result, realistic and achievable emission reduction targets were set.

The entire process involved those responsible for sustainability, purchasing, sales and human resources.

Value contributed

GC-Gruppe Spain now has a comprehensive view of its greenhouse gas emissions, enabling it to assess its impact from a more strategic perspective and to make an informed commitment to a progressive and realistic reduction. This information also facilitates the preparation of key reports, such as the EINF and the CSRD report.