A robust social procurement practice acknowledges that social and environmental sustainability efforts are linked.

Last year, to further advance environmental sustainability in our own activities and in the wider community, Buy Social Canada publicly committed to measure and address our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as we work towards net-zero by 2030 as part of the Government of Canada’s Net-Zero Challenge.

We shared our initial approach, our baseline emissions measurement, and our intention to improve over time, not just in results but in how we measure and report them. One year later, we’re sharing an update on our 2025 emissions, what we’ve learned since that first disclosure, and how we plan to continue improving in the year ahead.

Our 2025 Emissions Snapshot

For the 2025 reporting year, Buy Social Canada’s measured emissions were:

• Scope 1 and 2: 0 tonnes CO₂e
• Scope 3: 5.862 tonnes CO₂e

Our total emissions dropped by 59% compared to last year, in part because of more accurate data collection on business travel and work from home emissions which were over-estimated in our 2024 baseline measurements, and as a result of prioritizing online meetings over in-person delivery requiring travel by plane or car when possible.

As a remote-first organization with no owned facilities or vehicle fleet, all of our emissions currently fall under Scope 3. These include areas such as business travel, work-from-home energy use, and digital operations.

To take responsibility for these emissions, we purchased verified carbon credits to offset our 2025 footprint. We selected offset projects collectively as a team from Carbonzero.

What we learned

Our second year of measurement focused heavily on strengthening our methodology and improving accuracy. Some of our key learnings include:

All emissions are Scope 3, and that matters

We confirmed that all our emissions fall under Scope 3, and this reinforced where our influence lies: in policies, decision-making, and everyday operational choices rather than physical assets.

Better data leads to better decisions

We reviewed and updated all emissions factors used in our calculations to ensure they were more accurate, more regionally appropriate, and better aligned with Canadian contexts.

Actions taken

Improved calculator and process

We significantly improved the design and usability of our emissions calculator to capture more detailed data, reduce manual input errors, improve transparency and traceability, and create a clearer, more repeatable process year over year. These improvements helped us feel more confident in our results and made the process easier for the team to engage with.

A special thank you here to IGNITE, a project of ECO Canada, who we worked with in 2025 for guidance on Scope categorization and emissions factors. They supported us with multiple reviews of our emissions calculator, corrections to 2024 data errors and provided a third-party review and verification of our 2025 results.

Their support strengthened our processes, increased our confidence in our reporting, and saved significant time that would otherwise have been spent on research and peer review.

Offset with intention

Rather than treating carbon offsets as a purely technical exercise, we used Carbonzero to select projects as a team, helping us better understand how and where our offsets contribute to emissions reductions. We also prioritized aligning the projects chosen with our values, and supported local, community impact-driven projects in BC and Ontario.

How We Plan to Improve

Measuring emissions is not a static exercise. In 2026, our focus will be on expanding coverage and refining how we track our impacts.

Planned improvements include:

• Expand work-from-home emissions tracking to include wood burning, in addition to gas and electricity
• Improve business travel measurement by adding emissions from accommodation (currently only transportation is measured)
• Track airline-purchased carbon offsets more clearly and consistently
• Continue research on digital emissions, including online data usage and storage, and the environmental impacts of AI use
• Learn more about region-specific emissions factors, particularly for team members based in Ontario

Alongside improved measurement, we are continuing to focus on reducing emissions where we can. Our priorities are to maintain Scope 1 and 2 emissions at zero, expand our data usage and privacy policy to introduce clearer data-hygiene rules that reduce unnecessary storage and processing, and strengthen our business travel policy to prioritize direct routes and identify more fuel-efficient carriers where possible.

These strategies aim to reduce emissions at the source, not only compensate for them after the fact.

Looking Ahead

Our net-zero commitment is about accountability, learning, and continuous improvement. We’ll continue to share our progress, our challenges, and our next steps as our approach evolves.

Join Buy Social Canada and make a commitment to achieve net-zero by 2030. Through our consulting services and Social Purchasing Partnerships we can support your organization to develop and implement social and sustainable procurement that can support emissions reductions in your supply chain.