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Mgr inż. Mariusz Ćwięczek
ORCID: 0000-0002-6614-4707

Head of the Energy Production and Use Efficiency Laboratory at the Department of Energy Saving and Air Protection of the Central Mining Institute. A graduate of the Faculty of Environmental and Energy Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice. An expert and participant in many research projects in the field of sustainable energy technologies, rationalization of energy management. Energy auditor of residential and public buildings, verifier of energy audits commissioned by BGK, lecturer in the field of energy audit, thermal modernization and improvement of the efficiency of heat sources, certification of buildings.

 
DOI: 10.33226/1231-7853.2023.10.5
JEL: Q56, F18, F64, O13

The importance of the carbon footprint in environmental management in enterprises, marketing strategies and corporate social responsibility reports is growing. The paper focuses on presentation of this topic through a case study. The aim of the work was assessment of the carbon footprint of a scientific institute on the example of the Central Mining Institute (GIG), and analyses the possibility of using data collected under the procedures currently used at the Institute as part of the environmental quality management system to determine the carbon footprint, identifying key causes of climate impact and potential opportunities to reduce this impact. The application of the GHG Protocol methodology was presented in the work as well as key theoretical issues and requirements were discussed. The carbon footprint for GIG was determined in the 1+2+3 Scope in 2020. It was found that the Institute contributes to greenhouse gas emissions mainly through the purchase of electricity and heat, heat generation in gas boilers, employee commuting and the generation of municipal waste. Potential actions were proposed to reduce the Institute's impact on the climate. Thanks to a thorough discussion of the case study, entrepreneurs can assess the possibility of using the carbon footprint assessment tool in their organization and partially implement this methodology in their enterprises.

Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions; environmental reporting; case study; greenhouse gas emissions report; GHG protocol