MobiCycle Consulting

As climate change incites significant disruptions in Earth's weather patterns, organizations globally observe rising ocean temperatures, alterations in the tropical rain belt, and increased atmospheric moisture levels. The question becomes, is our goal merely to survive the impacts of climate change, or do we aspire to thrive despite them? A profound re-examination of our approach to climate change is underway, involving everyone from ordinary citizens to influential corporate leaders.

When addressing climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and potential solutions, it's crucial to first appreciate the progress we've made and understand what makes this issue challenging to tackle. Positively, we've transitioned from questioning 'whether' we should account for the greenhouse gases produced by organizations to exploring 'how' we should do so. However, emissions present a wicked problem, as they often result from organizations' endeavors to fulfill societal needs, achieve profitability, or simply maintain their business viability.

At MobiCycle, we encourage organizations like yours to evaluate your suppliers on an individual basis and elevate your standards. Furthermore, reassess your relationship with electronics, paying particular attention to renewables. Finally, avoid the inclination to view everything through a carbon-centric lens, where halting fossil fuel extraction or deploying carbon sequestration are deemed to be the ultimate solutions.

Supplier Assessments

Many platforms opt for simplicity, estimating emissions based on the end product. However, assessing emissions by product alone overlooks the distinct characteristics of individual suppliers. We must seize the opportunity to benchmark suppliers against one another to motivate emissions reductions. We strongly advocate for transparency from your suppliers at each stage of your supply chain, giving precedence to those who exhibit the lowest emissions.

Electronics & Electricals

As a startup operating at the intersection of the digital, climate, and technology sectors, with a core focus on electronic and electrical equipment, we dare to ask a question often avoided: Is society's reliance on renewable energy as a panacea for our carbon crisis misplaced? For every tree we fell to install a solar panel, the less carbon we remove from the atmosphere. For every wind farm we establish, we contribute to an estimated million-plus bird fatalities each year. Our 'green' solutions, it seems, are catalyzing species loss at a rate over 1,000 times the natural pace. It raises the unnerving question: Are we simply swapping one ecological disaster for another?

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The Mining & Manufacturing Sectors

Our global dialogue around electronics primarily focuses on topics such as chip shortages and renewable energy, often overlooking more critical issues. While the reduction of carbon emissions is certainly an essential goal, our unwavering fixation on it has inadvertently sidelined other urgent concerns such as the leaching of toxic substances into the environment during the manufacturing and disposal of electronics. MobiCycle's approach is more nuanced. We address supplier emissions from the mining, manufacturing and retail stages of the product's lifecycle, for each product. This level of detail provides a more accurate depiction of a product's true environmental footprint.

The eWaste Sector

Our wholehearted embrace of renewables, though borne out of good intentions, has unintentionally diminished the perceived impact of toxic compounds arising from electronic waste (eWaste). As it stands, eWaste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world, and its implications for our environment and health warrant far greater attention than they currently receive. Inefficient eWaste management strategies have contributed to the increase of co-mingled waste, leading to electronic devices ending up in landfills, where they can leach hazardous substances into the soil and groundwater. Additionally, the transfer of eWaste to facilities that are ill-equipped for proper waste remediation poses serious environmental and health threats. These issues should be of utmost importance to us, and warrant our attention and swift action.

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Alternatives to Carbon Equivalents

Carbon equivalents, or CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e), is a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints. The impact of each different greenhouse gas is stated in terms of the amount of CO₂ that would create the same amount of warming. Carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e) obscure the distinct warming effects of other greenhouse gases. Gases vary in both their lifetimes in the atmosphere and capacities to absorb heat.

Corporate leadership now stands at a crucial juncture. The current system of carbon accounting is on the brink of becoming obsolete. We are at a pivotal moment that demands a system capable of accurately reflecting the intricate dynamics of our atmosphere and independently reporting the impact of each greenhouse gas. This shift in approach necessitates moving away from the use of carbon equivalents.

Each of these gases contributes uniquely to the greenhouse effect. Developing a thorough understanding of their specific impacts is a fundamental step towards crafting more effective and comprehensive climate strategies.

Water vapor (H₂O),
Methane (CH₄),
Nitrous oxide (N₂O),
Ozone (O₃),
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs and HCFCs),
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
Perfluorocarbons (CF₄, C₂F₆, etc.),
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), and
Nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃).

Calculating Emissions the MobiCycle Way

If we are ever to effectively combat the climate crisis, it will necessitate acknowledging that translating non-carbon gases into 'carbon equivalents' masked their distinct and powerful effects on climate change. It will also mean that we would have enriched our understanding of all greenhouse gases and incorporated this knowledge into our climate accounting practices.

Presently, we find ourselves in a turbulent environment where confusion prevails and fear often inhibits the adoption of best practices, especially due to concerns about competitive disadvantage. This chaos and inconsistency are rampant in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) sphere. In particular:

Scope 3 emissions reports often fail to accurately present the types and amounts of emissions produced by their suppliers. As a result, users of financial statements - particularly investors - are unable to make informed comparisons between organizations within the same industry or sector.
The media's narrative fluctuates between questioning, "Is this really climate change?" and conceding, "We'd better buckle up and get used to this."
Non-profit organizations publicly advocate for measures like "stop drilling now," yet accept funding from entities that essentially buy their green credentials to avoid making substantive changes.

Sustainable practices manifest in environments where responsible decision-making is the norm. To truly embrace this responsibility, we must make conscious, data-driven choices. If your supplier selection relies more on pre-existing relationships than on emissions data, you're bypassing the critical decisions that are integral to averting climate disaster.

But how should you navigate this data? You might start by cataloging the electronic and electrical items you've purchased. From here, create a table with three columns.

The first column traces the lifecycle stages, spanning from raw material extraction, through manufacturing and distribution, usage, and ultimately to end-of-life.
The next column classifies the sectors, each matched with the relevant lifecycle stages - for instance, pairing mining with raw material extraction and waste management with end-of-life.
The final column assigns suppliers to their respective lifecycle stage and sector, such as aligning supplier ABC Waste Management to the waste management sector and the end-of-life stage of the product lifecycle.

Now, you are ready to calculate the emissions associated with each supplier using primary data.

AI is the future.

The MobiCycle Method: Part 2

Our current reality underscores the pivotal role AI will play in calculating emissions. Whether we're dissecting the data sector by sector, or analyzing it supplier by supplier, we're bound to confront the notorious 'data problem'. The task of collecting, processing, and analyzing such expansive and intricate datasets can reveal data gaps and superfluous data, posing a real risk of misinformation or misinterpretation. It is precisely at this juncture - where insufficient data and the potential for misunderstanding intersect - that the expertise of MobiCycle's consultants and the power of AI converge.

Artificial intelligence excels in situations of data scarcity and in instances where we face an influx of data, often of subpar quality or unverifiable. Algorithms tirelessly sift through the information, identifying patterns, making predictions, and deriving actionable insights.

AI won't solve every problem, just as technology alone won't save our planet. MobiCycle's consultants review your existing data inventories, identify gaps, and then proceed to fill these gaps through conducting supplier surveys, organizing on-site visits, and leveraging reliable third-party data sources.

AI and MobiCycle's Consultants help you get the calculations you need. You're equipped to rank suppliers within the same sector based on their emissions. Use this information to work with your suppliers to set targets for emissions reductions, or to contemplate engaging new suppliers if necessary.

You can also compare emissions across different sectors. Aggregate the emissions data by sector and advocate for initiatives focused on reducing emissions within the most impactful sectors.This process goes beyond mere supplier selection; it's about cultivating a culture of sustainability that permeates your entire supply chain.

At the end, AI coupled with MobiCycle's consultants allows us to compare between the emissions profiles of different electronic or electrical devices. This comprehensive approach equips organizations with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, propelling significant progress towards sustainable practices.

The Avant-Garde

Organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to establishing transparent and high-impact supply chains warrant commendation. These trailblazers serve as guiding lights, leading us towards a future that effectively addresses the severe consequences of climate change.

A key way these frontrunners manifest their dedication is through their judicious selection of suppliers. It's commonplace to find that these chosen suppliers mirror a similar commitment to their own supply chains, triggering a beneficial cascade effect that permeates down to the smallest tiers and subcontractors.

A major contributing factor to the success of these organizations is their focus on language and culture. Language wields influence over cognitive processes, patterns of thought, and cultural social norms. It also impacts how people perceive and interpret their environment. Conversely, the use of indistinct terminology can obstruct effective communication and decision-making, potentially leading to negative impacts on the environment and undermining sustainability efforts.

Specifically, suppliers who overly rely on vague terms such as 'net zero', 'value chain', 'materiality', 'carbon equivalents', and 'carbon footprints' display a greater degree of ambiguity and confusion when questioned about the specifics of their Scope 3 strategy. These terms act as red flags, as they're often ambiguously and tautologically defined, opening the door to potential misinterpretation by different stakeholders. Each stakeholder tends to tailor their understanding to suit their unique context.

Employing broad equivalences, whether it's related to carbon or applied uniformly across electronics supply chains in all sectors of a specific product, often results in inaccurate calculations and misguided strategies.

In a worst-case scenario, this oversimplification isn't just an error—it can be outright dangerous, leading to decisions that fail to consider the distinct impacts of non-carbon greenhouse gases. Electronics greenhouse gases are primarily non-carbon. Such ambiguities can lead to:

lack of concrete metrics or criteria,
challenges in decision-making and goal-setting,
oversimplification,
difficulties in problem-solving,
evasion of accountability for specific actions or results, and
suboptimal choices due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying factors and implications.

Notably, this lack of clarity impedes the auditing of reports or their comparison with competitors' reports or across different sectors.

Unfortunately, the oversimplification of ESG concepts has become the norm. Why do we resort to such extreme oversimplifications to understand Scope 3 emissions, despite their obvious drawbacks? The primary advantage of this approach is that it soothes our guilt, conveniently freeing us from our collective responsibilities and bypassing the need for a comprehensive greenhouse gas strategy. Secondly, maintaining the status quo aids in skirting the data problem.

Each time we give in to the temptation of oversimplification, we forfeit an opportunity and postpone the inevitable shift towards more comprehensive reporting. It's high time we acknowledge that each type of gas has a distinct environmental impact, and they can't be interchanged as effortlessly as a sneaker can replace a high heel. This same level of careful consideration should be extended to the different sectors within the electronics industry. Each sector, whether it's mining, manufacturing, retail, or disposal, exhibits a unique emissions profile.

MobiCycle's platform is a comprehensive blend of Consulting, Technology, Games, and Marketing expertise. We've already touched upon Consulting and Technology. In terms of games, we offer engaging experiences that depict the real-world consequences of ignoring best environmental practices, providing a powerful educational tool.

Our marketing efforts celebrate your achievements and shine a light on your organization's dedication to responsible mining methods, cleaner manufacturing processes, and appropriate disposal and recycling techniques. The addition of educational games and marketing solutions to MobiCycle's portfolio underscores our commitment to raising awareness and inspiring action.

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In conclusion...

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At MobiCycle, we empower organizations to harness the power of technology, data science, and collaborative endeavors to shape a sustainable future. Our vision is of an electronics industry that operates in symbiosis with the environment, significantly reducing its ecological footprint and safeguarding biodiversity for the generations to come.

If our vision resonates with you, we're ready to offer our support. We can help foster transparent dialogues with your suppliers, facilitating the acquisition of vital data, even when the discussions may prove difficult. The key to our collective longevity on this planet lies in incorporating the collection and reporting of accurate emissions data into daily operations across the entire supply chain.