WeWork
At a Glance
Industry
Real Estate
Project Types
Goals/Targets, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2019
Location
San Francisco, CA
Summary
Shannon Parker helped WeWork develop strategies to reduce the amount of embodied carbon in their global operations.
Goals
WeWork, an international provider of shared workspace, enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Shannon Parker to help the Supply Chain Sustainability Team develop financial and technical strategies to reduce WeWork’s global embodied carbon.
Solutions
Parker collected company-wide spending data to estimate the total Scope 3 footprint and completed the first phase of an input-output lifecycle assessment to identify the highest impact consumable items that WeWork could reduce or replace through alternative procurement strategies. She evaluated potential emissions growth over the next 10 years and recommended reduction targets that align with WeWork’s carbon neutrality goals.
Turning her attention to the supply chain engagement program, Parker designed a framework to educate and assist suppliers with resources to implement carbon reduction goals. Parker collaboratively developed two carbon pricing strategies: one dedicated to offset purchasing and the other which served as a project valuation tool for detailed carbon accounting aimed at including carbon as a metric alongside price when evaluating purchasing and design decisions.
Potential Impact
Parker’s estimated WeWork’s total Scope 3 footprint and created offset targets to potentially reduce Scope 3 emissions nearly 18% by 2029. The carbon pricing strategy has the potential to generate funds for sustainability projects as well as resulting in absolute reductions. Parker’s recommend reduction targets align with WeWork’s carbon neutrality goals, as well as practical short- and long-term solutions to create a more sustainable approach to supply chain.