Sustainability report 2024
Climate change and energy use
Next: Environment
Addressing the multiple challenges of climate change requires innovative and entrepreneurial solutions
Greenhouse gas emissions and energy use
Ongoing climate change negatively affects natural ecosystems, economic returns, and community development. Resolving this complex global problem will require multiple and simultaneous strategies. Using our exceptional, diverse teams, we apply our vast technical and business knowledge to design and build practical, safe, and innovative solutions for climate action.
We take a scientific, evidence-based approach to develop solutions with a business case that creates social, environmental, and financial value. Our Climate Change business is focused on two fundamental areas:
- Reduce the release, and ultimately the presence, of greenhouse gases (GHG) in our atmosphere
- Adapt our built and natural environments for climate change impacts.
GHG emissions targets and metrics
We’re committed to reducing GHG emissions within our own business. In 2020, we set a goal of net-zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and in 2023, we set a net-zero goal for scope 3 emissions by 2050. We evaluate our progress on the reduction of our absolute scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and publicly disclose these figures in this report. We follow the GHG Protocol standards and guidance for the calculation of our global GHG inventories.
Over the past year, we have made advancements in our data collection processes and GHG calculation methodology. Our organizational boundary covers all global offices including those of acquired businesses, like our office in Essen, Germany (acquired in 2023).
We have re-categorized leased offices and vehicles from scope 3 to reporting as scope 1 and 2 emissions to better align with the GHG Protocol. Further, we have refined spend-based emissions calculations through deeper data interrogation and emission factor improvements. Updates to historical emissions and baseline data, aligned with these improved methodologies, will be published in future sustainability reports.
- Calculated for the calendar year January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.
- Includes owned and leased assets globally.
- Categories 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 have been excluded as they were deemed not relevant or material based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard.
- Based on guidance from the GHG Protocol’s Technical Guidance for Calculating Scope 3 Emissions, version 1.0, and the U.S. EPA, spend-based emission calculations are adjusted for inflation to align to the year of the spend-based emissions factor.
- Includes purchased goods related to Hatch’s Design and Supply business. It is expected that emissions associated with this business will vary annually depending on the amount of equipment sold.
- Includes capital goods, fuel and energy-related activities and upstream transportation and distribution.
A significant portion of our emissions comes from activities within our value chain. We plan on taking a collaborative approach to work closely with our suppliers and transportation partners to co-create strategies to reduce emissions. We’re in the process of refining and implementing our climate action plan as well. We will publish our new plan in future reports and in our various operating jurisdictions, as required.
Further details are provided in our 2024 Sustainability Report and data tables.
Combining a lifelong passion with a technical career
“I’ve been interested in protecting the environment since I was a kid,” shared Stephanie.
My work early on at Hatch took me all over the globe—to Brazil and New Caledonia, and to projects located in rainforests or at ports surrounded by coral reefs.
It’s not surprising that Stephanie’s career path led to her becoming a team lead for our Climate Change practice. Stephanie joined us in 2011 as a process engineer in the Technologies practice. In 2017, she transitioned to the Advisory practice and, three years later, became a charter member of our Climate Change group.
“It just made sense,” she said. “It combined my longstanding interest in sustainability with the work that I had done to date.”
In her current role, Stephanie helps clients understand how to reduce their carbon footprint while finding a business case to do so.
Office energy efficiency and renewable power
We are driving positive change across our global operations with initiatives that reduce energy use and our GHG emissions in our facilities. Here are a few ways we are making an impact:
- We have implemented LED lights in our Johannesburg, Mississauga, and Santiago offices to reduce electricity usage.
- In our offices in Mississauga, we have installed electric vehicle chargers, supporting lower carbon transportation for our teams.
- In our Johannesburg office, we completed a solar energy project which includes solar panels and a battery energy storage system, thus reducing grid electricity consumption and reducing the need for diesel generator operation during power shortages.
- At our Belo Horizonte office, we purchase solar energy through a supply contract with GMG Energia.
As we continue to develop our decarbonization roadmap, we will continue to reduce energy usage across our offices and operations.
Navigating the complexities of climate change with clients
In addition to tracking our organization’s GHG emissions, we develop practical, safe, and innovative solutions to help our clients reduce GHG emissions and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. By collaborating across business units and tapping into our deep expertise across practices, we deliver end-to-end climate solutions—from strategic planning to project execution.
By far, our biggest contribution to tackling climate change is through the work we do with our clients, at their facilities, delivered through building their projects, to achieve positive climate action.
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