Elsa Ahlfors, Marketing & Sustainability Manager

ResQ Club’s Climate Impact 2024: First Footprint Calculation Is Out

Article in short

• In 2024, ResQ Club’s market-based emissions totaled 61.7 tonnes CO₂e, with no direct emissions (Scope 1).

• Emissions came from Scope 2 (42%) and Scope 3 (58%), primarily from electricity and heating (42%), purchased goods and services (32%), and business travel (12%).

• Total emissions increased by 56% from 2023 due to increased non-renewable electricity use and business travel, particularly for expansion in Germany. Despite the overall increase, emissions per employee decreased, reflecting operational growth and improved reporting.

• ResQ Club plans to calculate its “handprint” to understand the positive impact of reducing food waste and aims to decouple growth from emissions.

At ResQ Club, reducing food waste is at the heart of what we do, but our climate responsibility doesn’t stop there. We’re also committed to taking full accountability for the environmental impact of our own operations. That’s why we’ve calculated our emissions for the first time, in collaboration with climate consultancy NGS Finland Oy.

We’ve measured emissions for both 2023 and 2024 to establish a reliable baseline for future reporting. The assessment covers all of ResQ Club’s operations across our current markets.

Let’s dig into the results.

Our total emissions in 2024

In 2024, ResQ Club’s market-based greenhouse gas emissions amounted to: 61.7 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂eq). The footprint was calculated following the GHG Protocol, the most widely used international standard for emissions accounting, which divides emissions into three scopes, according to whether they are generated directly by a company’s operations or indirectly in the value or supply chain.

ResQ Club doesn’t generate direct emissions from its own operations (Scope 1). Instead, our entire footprint falls under Scope 2 and Scope 3, which in 2024 were quite evenly split. This is an interesting finding since typically, the vast majority, up to more than 90 % of a company’s total emissions, are scope 3 emissions. Scope 2 made up 42% of our total emissions and covers the indirect emissions from purchased electricity and district heating in our offices in Finland, Estonia, andGermany — with the Finnish office’s use of non-renewable electricity as the main driver. Scope 3 accounted for the remaining 58% and includes all other indirect emissions from across our value chain, such as purchased services, travel, and commuting.

The largest contributors to our footprint were:

Electricity and heating (42%)

ResQ’s purchased energy consists of electricity and district heating used in offices in Finland, Estonia, and Germany. Notably, non-renewable electricity use in Finland is the primary driver of emissions in this category.

Purchased goods and services (32%)

Includes marketing materials, IT services, and food services. IT-related emissions are based on a mix of direct data and spend-based calculations, which may overestimate actual emissions.

Business travel (12%)

As of 2024, we had 34 employees operating in four markets: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Germany. Our travel footprint includes flights, hotels, trains, ferries, and buses with international expansion increasing air travel, especially to Germany.

How do the results compare to the previous year?

In 2024, our market-based emissions increased by 56%, from 39.7 to 62.0 tonnes CO₂e, compared to 2023. This was mainly due to a 49% rise in Scope 2 emissions from increased non-renewable electricity use in Finland, and a 61% rise in Scope 3 emissions, driven by higher business travel (especially air travel for expansion in Germany), increased commuting, and IT service emissions.

While the overall increase may seem significant, it reflects both operational growth and improved reporting accuracy, helping us build a more reliable baseline for future reduction efforts.

Growing Without Increasing Our Emissions

Well, how do ResQ’s emissions stack up against similar companies? This is probably the most asked question.

To put it short, our emissions are relatively small. But we’re not complacent — as a growing company, we recognize that scaling responsibly means working to decouple our growth from emissions.

To track this, we’ve begun monitoring carbon intensity, or emissions relative to turnover, number of employees, and rescued food portions.

ResQ’s emissions have increased compared to revenue and rescued items but decreased compared to the number of personnel. As the company is still growing, it’s natural for its emissions to grow as well. This is reflected in the emissions per employee decreasing, as the number of personnel has grown faster than the company’s emissions. Normally turnover doesn’t change as quickly as personnel. ResQ is continuing to expand operations into new markets.

You can’t improve what you don’t measure

Measuring emissions is the first step toward real climate action. It helps us make smarter decisions, meet future regulatory requirements, and most importantly – stay true to our mission: reducing environmental impact in all aspects of our operations.

We believe transparency is key to building trust and progress in climate work — and we’re committed to sharing this journey with our community.

That being said, this is the first time we’ve published our emissions. While it’s a good start, we know we are not perfect. We’re committed to improving both our internal operations and the accuracy of our climate reporting.

Based on the results, we’ve identified opportunities to reduce emissions, particularly in energy use and travel, and are exploring ways to address them.

“Only by understanding both our emissions and our avoided impacts can we begin to see the full net effect of our operations on the planet.”

Next step: understanding the net impact of our operations

Measuring emissions shows us the negative side of our footprint but that’s only half the story.

As an impact-driven company giving surplus items a second chance, we’re not just reducing harm but we’re actively creating positive change. That’s why we’re now working to quantify our handprint — the beneficial impact we generate by preventing waste.

Only by understanding both our emissions and our avoided impacts can we begin to see the full net effect of our operations on the planet.