zeb supports leasing companies in determining the carbon footprint of their leasing business

zeb supports leasing companies in determining the carbon footprint of their leasing business.

We were commissioned by a Europe-based leasing association to develop guidelines for the so-called carbon accounting of its member companies. When we started working on the project, we already knew that, in light of the many different business models, we would have to abstract the standards for determining greenhouse gas emissions to some degree – however, we also knew that this wouldn’t suffice as the sole solution.  

“We have therefore focused on various case studies in order to provide concrete use cases for both highly specialized providers and broad-based leasing companies,” explains Lars Meyer, Senior Manager at zeb.

This is because the way the carbon footprint for leased assets – known as Scope 3 emissions – is determined can vary greatly depending on the size and business model of the respective company. Providers of highly standardized leasing services, such as car leasing, can draw on statistical data from an official body or from a certified database provider. For the leasing of special equipment, however, it is more likely that specific consumption data or at least sufficiently precise assumptions will be required. For example, a leasing contract for a special machine would require concrete data on the energy demand in kilowatt hours, based on the planned annual duration of use, plus the emissions factor of the energy mix to be used.

“Leasing companies will find a variety of different use cases in our guidelines,” says Meyer. This gives companies a practical approach to determining Scope 3 emissions for their leasing business, so that they can better determine the need for action and the configuration options.