The Carbon Balance, what is it and why should we get started right now?
We hear everywhere about carbon footprint, Scope 3, or carbon neutrality… But concretely, how does it work and what is it for a municipality, a business, or even a tourism establishment ?
At UrbanThink, we decided to make all this simpler, more visual, and above all more useful. The Carbon Balance is our approach to taking action without drowning in Excel spreadsheets. In this article, we explain what the Carbon Balance is and how it can become a real strategic lever for your activity.
What is a “Carbon Balance” ?
The Carbon Balance is a bit like a bank account for CO₂ emissions. On one side, we measure what is emitted (heating of buildings, travel, purchases, waste, etc.), and on the other, we value your green assets by calculating the CO₂ sequestration of your site.
The goal is simple : to have a clear view of your environmental impact, and above all to know where to take concrete action to improve it. Indeed, conducting a carbon assessment is not just about calculating a global footprint : the aim is to identify the main sources of emissions in order to establish an effective action plan and correct the course.
Concretely, the Carbon Balance shows you the balance between your emissions and your CO₂ stocks in plants. If your emissions significantly exceed your CO₂ storage capacity, you immediately know where to focus your efforts.
It is an educational tool and a revealer : it allows you to grasp your climate impact in a comprehensive, visual, and understandable way. You can thus prioritize the measures to be taken, whether it be improving the biodiversity of your site, the energy efficiency of your buildings, reconsidering your business travel, or working with more responsible suppliers.
Understanding scopes 1, 2, 3 (don’t panic !)
No need to be a climatologist to understand the notion of scopes in a carbon assessment. Here are the basics :
Scope 1 : these are the emissions that you emit directly. For example, the emissions from your company vehicles, from your oil or gas boilers, or any direct combustion at your sites. These are called direct emissions, under your immediate control.
Scope 2 : these are the indirect emissions related to energy that you purchase. Mainly, this concerns emissions due to the production of electricity, heat, or cold that you consume. For example, the electricity bought to light and heat your premises generates emissions at the power plant; they are counted in scope 2.
Scope 3 : this is the big catch-all for all the other indirect emissions that you “outsource” or that occur outside your walls. This includes business travel (train, plane, personal car), purchases of goods and services from your suppliers, emissions related to the life cycle of your equipment, waste management, deliveries of your products, the commuting of your employees, etc. In short, everything that does not fall under your direct energy consumption.
Scope 3 generally represents the largest share of an organization’s carbon footprint, often more than half, or even three-quarters or more in many cases.
It is often scope 3 that “explodes” in a carbon assessment. This is normal : it can represent the majority of total emissions of a company or community. For example, for many companies, indirect emissions (scope 3) account for 75 to 95 % of their total emissions. The good news is that scope 3 is also where you have the most room for maneuver to reduce your impact by changing your purchasing, transportation, waste management practices, etc. In other words, it is a challenge, but also an opportunity to make a big difference.
Did you know ? Since 2023, French regulations require large organizations to integrate scope 3 into their official Greenhouse Gas Emissions Balance (BEGES). Until then, only emissions from scopes 1 and 2 were required, which did not always reflect the real impact of an activity on the climate. This regulatory change means that we must now account for and report all significant indirect emissions in the balance, including those from scope 3. This confirms how essential scope 3 is for having a complete view of your carbon footprint.
How UrbanThink Supports You with the Carbon Balance
Our solution Carbon Balance® helps you analyze, visualize, and manage your CO₂ emissions / carbon stocks in a clear, interactive, and action-oriented way. Specifically, here’s what we offer you:
📊 Clear indicators in interactive dashboards – Gone are the austere reports that end up in a drawer! Your emission data is presented in dynamic graphs and dashboards, accessible online. You can see at a glance how your emissions are distributed by category (buildings, mobility, waste, etc.), their evolution over time, and the impact of the actions taken. This dynamic monitoring allows you to regularly update your assessment and track specific operational indicators rather than limiting yourself to a static snapshot.
A mapping of your green assets (land use categories) and associated indicators: land use, natural/artificial areas, tree growth, timber volume… as well as the CO₂ stock to know your site’s carbon sequestration. And to determine if your site is a carbon sink!
📉 Concrete reduction levers – Beyond the observation, we identify with you action areas to reduce your emissions. Whether it’s optimizing your employees’ commuting, promoting more local or sustainable purchases.
🗺️ A connection with your territory or sites – Because your emissions are part of a geographical context, we connect your carbon assessment with relevant territorial data. For example, through our tool ThinkCities, you can visualize the carbon footprint of your different sites on an interactive map and compare it with the challenges of the area (air quality, exposure to climate risks, etc.). This allows you to territorialize your actions and align them with local initiatives (climate plans, “Territory ZAN” – Zero Net Artificialization initiatives, etc.).
🧑💻 A personalized support (much more than an Excel file) – At UrbanThink, we don’t leave you alone with a report. Our experts accompany you to understand the results and especially to take action. Repositories workshops, team training, support in prioritizing actions, sharing best practices… You benefit from a tailored follow-up. The goal? That the Carbon Balance becomes a living management tool, not another dusty study.
In summary, we don’t just tell you “you emit X tons of CO₂ per year”. We show you how to do better. A carbon assessment is the starting point of a broader continuous improvement process: by enriching the collection and analysis of your data (energy, travel, waste, purchases…), you can implement an action plan that will optimize your resources and processes, and even achieve short-term savings through simple actions. In other words, well-managed, low-carbon transition goes hand in hand with enhanced operational performance and concrete benefits.
And after the carbon assessment? We won’t let you go
The realization of your Carbon Balance is just the starting point. Once you have measured your footprint and identified your main emission sources, the important thing is to take the next step: the effective reduction of your emissions. Here too, UrbanThink stays by your side to help you deploy an ambitious but realistic climate strategy. Specifically, after the assessment, we help you to:
Build a realistic low-carbon strategy – Based on the results, we develop a climate action plan with you. Reduction targets for 5, 10, or 20 years, a trajectory for reducing emissions aligned with climate scenarios, choices for priority investments… You get a clear roadmap to achieve your targets (reducing X % of emissions, carbon neutrality by 20XX, etc.) based on your means. The idea is to have a custom strategy integrated into your development plan.
Track your progress over time – The Carbon Balance is an evolving tool. We implement tracking indicators (dashboards updated annually or in real time) so you can see the progress of your actions. You will know precisely how many emissions you have avoided over time and can adjust your plan accordingly. This monitoring allows you to stay on course and sustain the approach (for example, by reviewing the objectives upward each year based on the progress made).
Highlight your actions – Finally, we assist you in valuing your efforts in terms of climate. Whether for your external communication (CSR reports, website, social media), to respond to environmental labels or certifications (ISO 14064, HQE label, Eco-district, etc.), or for your exchanges with investors and clients, we ensure that your carbon results are understandable and highlighted transparently. A company or community that measures and reduces its emissions transparently improves its image and inspires confidence. Today, many contracting authorities incorporate carbon criteria into their calls for tenders: not acting means running the risk of being sidelined. Conversely, positively communicating your emission reductions can become a competitive advantage and an attractiveness factor.
In short, we maintain the connection with you so that the carbon approach is sustained over time. The ecological transition is a marathon, not a sprint: it involves continuous improvements, monitoring, and adaptation. UrbanThink ensures that you keep the pace, that you celebrate your interim successes, and that you adjust your trajectory as necessary.
You are not alone in this low-carbon adventure!
Who is the Carbon Balance aimed at ?
The Carbon Balance UrbanThink is aimed at a wide variety of stakeholders who wish to concretely engage in reducing their carbon footprint :
Local authorities: Municipalities, inter-municipalities, departments, or regions that want to anticipate regulatory obligations (for example, the mandatory BEGES for communities with more than 50,000 inhabitants) or simply lead by example. Measuring and managing emissions from communal property or territory allows feeding into the local Climate Plan, prioritizing investments (energy renovation, soft mobility, etc.) and involving citizens in the process.
Businesses (SMEs, mid-sized enterprises, large groups): Any business wishing to structure its climate policy or energy transition plan. Whether to respond to an ambitious CSR strategy, to comply with the upcoming European CSRD, or to meet the expectations of its clients and investors, the Carbon Balance provides a comprehensive framework to take action. It's particularly relevant for industrial, logistical, tourist companies, etc., but also for service companies looking to green their operations.
· Tourism and leisure stakeholders: For example, campgrounds, hotels, leisure bases, tourist resorts… These structures are increasingly seeking to reconcile economic development and sustainability. The Carbon Balance allows a campground, for example, to identify its main emission sources (hot water, energy, waste from visitors, etc.) and find solutions to reduce the impact without compromising the user experience. It's an asset to differentiate and respond to the growing demand for more sustainable tourism.
And many others : economic activity zones that want to guide their businesses toward net-zero, public establishments (schools, hospitals…) concerned about controlling their energy consumption, etc. Regardless of the size or nature of your organization, if you have the will to understand and reduce your GHG emissions, the Carbon Balance can help you.
Ready to take action ?
Do you want to move from theory to practice and explore how the Carbon Balance can become a real strategic lever for your activity ?
Take 30 minutes with our team to discover our approach concretely, backed by data and personalized examples.
👉 Book your free demo here – it’s simple and without obligation.
There’s no better time than now to start your low-carbon transition. Every ton of CO₂ avoided matters, for the climate of course, but also for the resilience and performance of your organization. So, shall we go for it ?
Transform your carbon footprint into an asset : with the Carbon Balance UrbanThink, measure, act, and make a difference today.
