The first step in analyzing a company's sustainability measures is to interpret the data that have been collected.
The spreadsheet below may be used to interpret the data collected after completing the previous steps. All spreadsheets and tools required for data collection and analysis can be obtained from the OECD website: Tools for data collection and calculation
This example shows analysis of data relating to the energy consumption indicator (O2, operational processes) for a theoretical company:
The spreadsheet shows that the company has energy consumption of 8 megajoules (MJ) per product (in this case, the company has chosen the number of products manufactured at a given production unit as the standardization factor). The most important information for determining the potential for improving sustainability is also shown.
Type of energy |
Annual energy consumption (MJ) |
|---|---|
Electricity purchased from suppliers |
100,000 |
Fuel oil |
70,000 |
Natural gas |
200,000 |
Biogas generated by the unit’s waste |
20,000 |
Wood waste generated by the unit |
10,000 |
Total energy consumed |
400,000 |
Standardization factor = |
50,000 |
Energy consumption indicator (O2) = |
8 MJ/product |
In this scenario, natural gas (200,000 MJ) represents the largest source of energy used by the company, followed by the electricity purchased from industrial services and fuel oil.
The company in question has several options for reducing its global energy consumption. It can, for example, endeavor to increase its energy efficiency or reduce one or more of its energy sources according to their usage. These options will be evaluated in greater detail in the following chapters.
Last modification 10.10.2022
