our carbon footprint
I spend my working life helping organisations manage their environmental impacts --- so it's only fair that Pither Consulting measures and reports its own. From July 2026 I'm tracking the business's emissions month by month and publishing the results here as they come in. It keeps me honest, and it shows clients exactly what practical carbon reporting looks like for a small business.
FY2025--26 baseline
In its first measured year, Pither Consulting's footprint was 9.69 tonnes CO2-e --- around two-thirds of the footprint of the average Australian, for a full year of consulting across Queensland and interstate.
Scope What it covers t CO2-e
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Scope 1 --- Direct Fuel burned in the business vehicle (80% business use) 5.30
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Scope 2 --- Purchased energy Grid electricity --- zero, thanks to solar + battery with no grid import 0.00
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Scope 3 --- Indirect Flights, hire cars, accommodation, purchases, and upstream fuel emissions 4.3
Total 9.69
No surprises about where it comes from: over two-thirds is the car (6.66 t) --- the reality of serving regional Queensland clients on site --- with flights the next biggest slice (2.12 t). The home office runs on solar and battery with zero grid import, so purchased electricity contributes nothing.
Now the goal is to reduce it
2026 - 2027
FY2026--27 --- monthly tracking
This year I've moved from an annual estimate to monthly measurement. Each month's figures are added below, usually in the first week of the following month.
Stay tuned for July 2026 ....
How it's calculated
The footprint covers all activities of Pither Consulting Pty Ltd. Because the business runs from a home office, only the business-use share of home energy is counted, and 80% of vehicle fuel reflecting logged business use.
Scope 1 and 2 emissions use the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) 2025 factors; travel and purchases (scope 3) use standard published factors (DESNZ 2025), with flights including radiative forcing.
It's a good-faith estimate prepared in line with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard --- not a formal NGER report, and I'm upfront about that with clients too.
What I'm doing about it
The home office already runs on rooftop solar with battery storage --- grid electricity use is zero.
Combining regional site visits into single trips, and delivering remotely where it doesn't compromise the work --- the car is two-thirds of the footprint, so this is where the effort goes.
Choosing hybrid hire cars and economy flights when travel is unavoidable. Offsetting travel will also be included.
Want to know your number?
If a sole consultant can measure and publish a monthly carbon footprint, so can your business --- and it's easier than you think. I help small and medium businesses measure their footprint, set reduction targets and fold it all into an ISO 14001 environmental management system.
frequently asked questions
What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?
Scope 1 is fuel you burn directly — vehicles, generators, gas. Scope 2 is the electricity you buy. Scope 3 is everything upstream and downstream — flights, accommodation, purchases, waste. For most small businesses the first measurement covers Scopes 1 and 2 plus the big, obvious Scope 3 items, exactly as this page does.
Is my business required to report its emissions?
Most small and medium businesses have no legal reporting obligation — Australia's mandatory climate disclosure rules apply to large entities. But those large entities must report their supply-chain emissions, which is why SMEs are increasingly asked for their number by customers and in tenders. Measuring now, on your terms, beats scrambling when the request lands.
What information do I need to measure my footprint?
Less than you'd expect: fuel receipts or logbook data, electricity bills, and records of flights, accommodation and major purchases for the year. If you can pull together a year of invoices, you can measure a footprint — most small businesses already have everything needed sitting in their accounting software.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
For a typical small business, a first footprint is weeks, not months — mostly gathering the records. Cost scales with complexity: a sole trader or small office is a modest, fixed-price job. You'll have a quote before we start.
Do I need to buy offsets or claim carbon neutrality?
No — and I'd generally advise against rushing to. Measure first, reduce what you can, and only then consider offsets with credible, named projects. Neutrality claims are under real regulatory scrutiny in Australia; an honest measured number with a reduction plan is worth more than a shaky "carbon neutral" badge.
How accurate does a small business footprint need to be?
Good-faith and consistent beats falsely precise. Mine follows the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard with published Australian emission factors, and I'm upfront that it's an estimate, not a formal NGER report. That's the right standard for SME reporting: rigorous method, honest boundaries, same approach every year so the trend is real.