In line with EUR's sustainability ambitions of achieving a net zero campus by 2035, various carbon-reducing actions and initiatives have been implemented over the past several years. To better measure the impact of these initiatives, the Real Estate & Facility department started reporting on EUR's annual carbon footprint in 2011.
Each year, we strive to enhance the quality of these reports and provide the best possible picture of EUR's impact on the natural environment. For instance, in 2015, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol framework was established for EUR, and in 2021, the construction of the new Langeveld building was included in the calculations.
Compliant with the EU Sustainability Reporting Directive
The urgency of climate change, environmental degradation and the need for sustainable development have led to increasing pressure on companies to reduce their negative impact on the environment and society. Consequently, corporate sustainability reporting methods are continuously adapted to incorporate new insights, calculation methodologies and (inter)national policies.
The existing Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), introduced by the European Union, fell short in providing consistent and reliable sustainability information, making it difficult for investors, customers, and stakeholders to accurately assess the sustainability performance of companies. Aligned with the European Green Deal, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), introduced in 2023, requires companies to provide detailed and standardized sustainability reports. These are essential for achieving the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
Eventually, educational institutions will also be required to report their environmental impact according to CSRD standards. Therefore, Erasmus University Rotterdam has decided to start improving our carbon footprint scope by implementing different calculation methods and using spend-based analyses to meet these requirements. As a result, the carbon footprint calculations for 2022 and 2023 available below comply with CSRD requirements.
EUR calculates its carbon footprint using methods and standards developed by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG). The protocol comprises three scopes, with which specific emissions are associated:
scope 1: direct emissions, over which the university has control;
scope 2: direct emissions from power generation, which are under the university's control, but which are emitted outside its organisational boundaries; and
scope 3: indirect emissions, over which the university has limited control.
In this document, Figure 5.1 shows the sources of the emissions.