Similar to global patterns, energy generation and transport are the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa. Transport activities, freight, and passenger commuting are responsible for 48 million tonnes of carbon emissions, or 10% of national emissions and 13% of energy emissions in 2020. Robust mitigation activities are required to reduce global emissions and prevent rapid climate changes. South Africa has committed to reduce its national emissions by 42% by 2030 using 2000 as a base year.
But to achieve mitigation targets, there needs to be robust investigation of activities that contribute to the emissions. And it is not always easy to determine the emissions at the lowest granular level.
However, using publicly available data on student enrolments at the provincial level from the Department of Basic Education, national household travel surveys conducted by Statistics South Africa, and other national data, Zutari has assessed the carbon emissions produced by the matric class of 2024 when they travelled to school throughout the year.
This follows a similar study that Zutari did for a group of seven schools in South Africa and few other countries in Africa which showed that commuting to school is by far, the largest source of emissions for the school community.
This study focuses on matriculants that used motorised transport to and from school in 2024. It seeks to raise understanding of the public, government and corporates about the contribution of commuting to greenhouse gas emissions and the climate change.
The matric class of 2024 produced 111,356 (0.11 million) tonnes of CO2 emissions by travelling to school for an average of 220 days of the year. Travelling to school using motorcars is the main source of emissions with about 82,000 tonnes of emissions.
On average, each motorised learner was responsible for 0.40 tonnes (400 kg) of CO2. Under the same conditions, a learner would produce 4,800 tonnes of CO2 from commuting using road vehicles during the 12 years of commuting to school between grade 1 and 12.
There is variation in the intensity of the emissions with the Western Cape being the highest and Limpopo having the lowest emissions per learner. The three most urbanized provinces (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape) have the highest emission intensities (emissions per learner) mainly because compared to other provinces, the larger number of learners in these provinces commute using private motorcars.
0.40 Tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are:
Equivalent to CO2 emissions from burning 230 kg of coal
Equivalent to 170 litres (ZAR 4,000) of petrol consumed
Equivalent to carbon sequestered by 7 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
Equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions avoided by 140 kg of waste recycled instead of landfilled.
In an effort to combat climate change, we at Zutari have adopted a proactive approach to minimising greenhouse gas emissions from our office operations and business travel. In our FY24 Sustainability report, we have thoroughly detailed our GHG emission minimisation measures.
For almost a decade, we have calculated and disclosed the carbon footprint of Zutari offices and our heritage organisation on a regular basis using an extended operational control approach. This means that we also include emissions for offices where we are a minority tenant and landlords have operational control. We explored this in three scopes:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions. These are associated with activities owned or controlled by Zutari. These include fuel combustion from generator usage during grid power shortages, refrigerant leakage from air conditioning, and the use of fleet vehicles, rental cars, and private vehicles.
- Scope 2: Energy indirect emissions. Emissions arise from our consumption of purchased electricity. As our offices are located in various countries, the electricity sourced from the primary grid is subject to differing emission factors.
- Scope 3: Other indirect emissions are emissions that occur along an organisation’s supply and distribution chain. At Zutari, we measure the emissions generated by our air travel, water, and paper usage.
During FY24, Scope 1 emissions increased by 13%, primarily due to heightened travel by rental and private vehicles. Scope 2 emissions saw a minimal reduction as our reliance on generators decreased this financial year, a trend that is expected to continue. Scope 3 emissions decreased by 32%, linked to the shift in travel patterns noted in Scope 1 emissions. [See page 67 of our FY24 Sustainability report].
This is just one way we are contributing to creating a footprint of positive impact. Beyond our organisation, we offer fresh perspectives by integrating sustainability principles in the planning stages of our projects with clients. We typically consider five groups of sustainability principles: Environmental Responsibility, Economic Efficiency, Social Responsibility, Regulatory Compliance and Governance, and Technological Innovation. See page 7 of our FY24 Sustainability report.
Zutari’s approach integrates these sustainability principles into projects and aligns solutions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our focus on sustainable design aims to create facilities that are environmentally friendly and socially beneficial. Zutari’s Sustainability Business Unit was established to meet the evolving needs of our clients while also aligning with the expectations (driven by purpose and passion) of our staff.
