The challenge

GK is one of Scandinavia’s leading end-to-end technical contractor and service partner. With around 3,000 employees, they deliver smart and energy efficient solutions for HVAC, building automation, electrical installations, and plumbing.

As industry leaders, GK has set ambitious goals to reduce their carbon footprint, aiming to cut their direct CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and reduce indirect emissions from their customers and suppliers by 55% by 2032.

But to effectively drive these sustainability efforts, they needed a complete overview of their carbon emissions to identify reduction opportunities. ‍

Data fragmentation

One challenge for GK was that their carbon accounting processes were manual and labor-intensive. They had data in many different places, and it was difficult to pull all the data together in a unified format.

This made it challenging to get a reliable baseline for their carbon emissions, especially for Scope 3 emissions, which includes indirect emissions from their supply chain. ‍

Getting a more accurate picture of their emissions over time

Another hurdle for GK was their aim to transition from using spend-based data to more detailed product-specific data for their carbon accounting. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are crucial for this transition.

In the past, the availability of EPDs was limited in their industry, and GK was a frontrunner in requesting this information from their supply chain. With the rapidly growing availability of EPDs for technical installations, GK wanted a flexible carbon accounting system that could handle both spend data and EPDs. This would enable them to map their carbon emissions more accurately. ‍

Making sustainability collaborative

To achieve their sustainability goals, GK needed a system that not only provided accurate carbon accounting but also enabled collaboration between their sustainability and purchasing teams.

They understood that a significant portion of their emissions fell under Scope 3, making procurement a crucial lever.

GK wanted a transparent and unified view for both their sustainability and purchasing teams, to help them identify key product categories and services for future emissions reduction efforts and empower their employees to make more sustainable choices.

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The solution ‍

Centralizing data for a clear baseline‍

One of the biggest challenges GK faced was consolidating their purchasing data to get a complete picture of their carbon emissions.

Ignite made it possible to centralize all their emissions data from purchased goods and services to get a baseline of their Scope 3 emissions. This was crucial in helping GK understand where they stood and identify key areas for improvement.

With a baseline in place, they now have a solid foundation to track progress and implement effective strategies for reducing emissions.

‍Harnessing the EPD data‍

A major highlight for GK has been including Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data in their work on Ignite.

EPDs are an important part of their supplier follow-up processes and empower them to more accurately assess the environmental impact of their purchases.

To implement EPD data in their climate accounting, GK focused on suppliers in the categories with the highest emissions. For products purchased from these suppliers, they swapped out spend-based estimates on Ignite with the EPD data, ensuring they have the most accurate data where it matters most.

Working with EPD data also enables GK to compare suppliers and products more effectively, helping them make better decisions and encouraging customers to choose more sustainable products. ‍

Collaborative and transparent sustainability efforts

With Ignite, GK’s sustainability team gained the same insights as their purchasing teams, creating a unified view of their purchasing patterns.

They could now see which suppliers are frequently used and which products are bought in large volumes. This enabled them to break down emissions by project or contract, fostering transparency and collaboration.

It also helped GK align their sustainability goals with procurement strategies and make informed decisions to drive sustainability forward.

‍The impact

Since using Ignite, GK has achieved substantial progress on their sustainability journey.

They increased their use of EPDs, improving the accuracy of their carbon accounting.

GK prioritized gathering EPD data from suppliers in their highest-emitting category, leading to more accurate estimates for over 2,600 tCO2e — a significant first step in their reduction journey.

By using the Ignite dashboard to visualize emissions per product category, GK has identified key products for their climate transition plan, ensuring they focus on the most impactful areas for emission reductions.