Canada’s race to reduce carbon emissions is gaining speed. And while the focus of the Federal Government’s strategies has largely centered on fuel-combustion vehicles and environmental systems, there is a renewed focus on reducing a company’s supply chain carbon footprint (aka “Scope 3).
“Fresh off the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Canadian government is taking a closer interest in reducing Scope 3 emissions, and a lot of that has to do with finding ways to decarbonize buildings,” says Jeff Grabinsky, Vice President of Executive Mat Service (EMS).
EMS has made Scope 3 emission reductions its mission since the mat manufacturing and cleaning company opened its Calgary shop in 1996. Over the years since, it has pioneered several mat production and washing technologies that help property stakeholders eliminate CO2 emissions from their environment.
These innovations have helped property owners and managers make good on their ESG (environmental, social, and governance) mandates, and create healthier environments and bottom lines.
“Sustainability is absolutely part of our DNA, and it’s something we champion through all of our products, services, and client interactions,” adds Grabinsky. “It’s not just a bulletpoint we put on our website for the sake of getting business; it’s the reason we started doing business in the first place.”
Enter: The One Billion Point CO2 Challenge
It’s one thing to cite sustainability in a mission statement; it’s another to follow through. For its part, EMS has championed a host of eco-forward initiatives that are giving multi-family, facility, and commercial property owners the tools to reduce their environmental footprint.
Among these initiatives is the Billion Pound CO2 Challenge (aka, the “Billion Pound Challenge”), an initiative that helps the property management community “identify and track meaningful reductions in carbon intensity across the supply chain” to eliminate 1,000,000,000 pounds of C02 emissions annually.
Launched in 2019, the program gives green-tech creators a platform through which they can verify that their technologies are effective in reducing Scope 3 emissions.
After, project owners that use these vetted technologies can have their CO2 reductions tracked via the Billion Pound Challenge online ledger, earning both industry recognition and additional incentives.
“Kim and I felt there was a gap in the Scope 3 objective in terms of validating green technologies and having a way to make those claims concrete in the field,” says Grabinsky, who played a large role in launching the initiative alongside EMS
founder, Kim Caron.
EMS has had several technologies vetted through the platform. They include:
• EMS’s decarbonized floor matting service.
• The CDF mat washing machine process, a patented technology created by Kim Caron which uses 95 per cent less water than industry standards.
• Eco Growth, a technology that can be used to collect a client’s food and paper waste and convert it into biomass brisket.
“Each of these innovations has been instrumental in helping our clients reduce their Scope 3 emissions and, in so doing, get their name up on the Billion Pound Challenge ledger,” adds Grabinsky.
Industry recognition is just one advantage of taking part in the Billion Pound Challenge. Through a collaboration with the makers of PeriCoin cryptocurrency, EMS can award one unit of the e-coin for every pound of CO2 its clients save through the use of its Scope 3-reducing services and technologies.
“At the end of the day, we’re trying to incentivize the property management community,” adds Grabinsky. “So not only do they get their building on a ledger, which helps them attract more business by having their CO2-reducing processes and methods validated, but they also get an e-coin they can use to pay for our projects or save in an electronic wallet for future trading.”
As Canada steps up efforts to fulfill its climate change promises, the country is relying on innovation to lead the way. Greening the built environment is no small challenge, but programs like the One Billion Pound CO2 Challenge and the technologies within it are doing their part to reach that goal.
Executive Mat Service is Canada’s only ISO14001 (Environmental) & COR Safety
Certified mat rental company in Canada. For more, visit www.executivemat.com, email
info@executivemat.com, or call 1-877-290-7711.
