Communicating positive environmental impacts – User experiences of the carbon handprint approach

Abstract

The carbon handprint is an approach to showcase the positive environmental impact—that is, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction—a product or service has compared to a baseline offer. Companies whose product or service is performing comparably well in terms of GHG emissions can use the carbon handprint to communicate their sustainable performance and positive environmental value of their solution to stakeholders. To better understand the uses, benefits, and challenges of the carbon handprint, we interviewed informants from seven large companies with some years of experience using the approach. The objective was to determine how the early adopters use the carbon handprint and create value from it. The results indicate that the early adopters have found valuable applications for the approach, particularly because it accounts for the positive impact of the company's business. At the same time, the users communicated that since the approach is not yet widely known in all stakeholder groups, there is potential to increase the value derived from the handprint approach, especially if it gains more international acceptance, awareness, and recognition.