The efficient running of modern engines has come a long way. Agricultural tractor manufacturers have invested a lot of money in reducing fuel consumption while, at the same time, ensuring a high engine performance. Manufacturers must also keep compliance with stricter exhaust emission limits and regulations. The days of smelly fumes in the workshop, as we tried fixing engines that were constantly burning oil, should soon become a thing of the past.
Do we really know how much carbon we emit from running our business or know what level of emissions come from the machines we sell? Can we honestly tell our customers what the carbon footprint is from each machine?
On June 1 last the Brussels based European Rental Association (ERA), updated their Equipment CO2 Calculator. This calculator is tailor made for the construction industry to provide a comprehensive and easy-to-use tool for making sustainable choices when using equipment. It is aimed at rental companies, local authorities and other equipment users.
I am curious to know does such a calculator exist for agricultural, landscaping or sportsturf equipment? I immediately did a search on Google and found that there are companies that provide carbon footprint calculations for homeowners and businesses but I couldn’t find anything specific for the agricultural or sportsturf industry. On the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website there are links available to service providers that will help businesses and homeowners monitor their carbon emissions. Costs vary, depending on the size of your fleet.
Having an equipment CO2 calculator available that is specific to our industry would be very useful to have. It would mean that we would be able to calculate the carbon footprint of our own and of our customers’ existing fleet and make recommendations on how to lower their emissions.
The ERA’s updated Equipment CO2 calculator can calculate for handheld tools and modular space, with the calculations tailored to each category of equipment across the parameters of production, transportation, lifetime and utilisation, energy consumption, maintenance and end-of-life. The updated version has the option for group calculations for a specific project, task or jobsite or an entire equipment fleet. Users can group all categories of equipment into a single calculation, with the results showing the total carbon footprint for all the equipment. This is on top of calculations of the carbon footprint of a single piece of equipment in a specific use scenario.
Translating this into our own industry would mean that we could calculate the CO2 footprint of all the machines on a farm or sports facility. We could calculate the emissions for a particular job such as cutting silage or mowing 18 fairways. The carbon footprint could even be calculated for a strimmer that is used to maintain bunkers on a golf course. From a dealership point of view it would be possible to record the carbon footprint of the sales team or the repairs and service crew that are out on the road making calls to customers. Recording and compiling all this data would make it a lot easier to monitor progress and, more importantly, implement changes where necessary.
Our industry is doing its bit in improving air quality. More efficient engines and the development of Smart Technology has contributed a lot towards reducing CO2 emissions. We should be proud of that but, rather than resting on our laurels, we should keep striving to improve reducing CO2 emissions even further. Being able to record and monitor these levels would help a lot.
