Managing Our Impact
Due to the nature of our business, our energy consumption and GHG emissions derive from two main sources:
- ~1% of total GHG emissions stem from our business operations, which involve the use of combustible energy, including natural gas, diesel, propane, and fuel oil (Scope 1 emissions) and purchased electricity (Scope 2 emissions)
- ~99% of total GHG emissions are from downstream and upstream activities in our value chain, such as use of sold products, purchased goods and services, end of life treatment of sold products, transportation and distribution, investments, employee commuting, capital goods, business travel, and fuel-and-energy related activities. See the table below for each category of Dover’s Scope 3 emissions profile
Operational and financial representatives from Dover's operating companies and corporate leaders work closely with the Sustainability Steering Committee to coordinate energy and greenhouse gas reductions across facilities worldwide. The Sustainability Steering Committee provides oversight for the implementation of Dover’s energy and greenhouse gas initiatives, monitors energy performance, and supports energy efficiency and carbon reduction efforts at Dover’s operating companies.
At the operating company level, GHG Champions work with the Dover corporate center to plan, execute, and measure operational emissions reduction efforts. GHG Champions submit information to the Dover corporate center about new or ongoing energy saving projects, including expected energy savings, cost, and payback period.
The Dover corporate center also facilitates quarterly focus groups of GHG Champions and other leaders at operating companies, prioritized based on emissions, to discuss both operational and product emissions reduction opportunities. These meetings encourage operating companies to share best practices throughout the enterprise in support of Dover’s corporate-wide emissions reduction targets.
We recognize that our combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions increased by approximately 10% compared to the previous reporting year. We attribute these trends to improved data collection in 2022 and revenue growth as operations continue to rebound from the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are considering a full re-baseline of 2019 data to adjust for the improved data collection methodologies used in 2022. To further advance progress toward our goals, the corporate center plans to take a more active role by analyzing emissions reductions and financial impacts of additional projects and sharing this information for use across our operating companies.
Dover’s Scope 3 emissions have also increased by approximately 7% compared to the previous reporting year. While our operating companies are working hard to innovate more sustainable products, there is a notable time lag in the product development process between the inception of a sustainable product idea and the realization of emissions reductions associated with that product. On average in our industries, the time from ideation to products in-use at scale is approximately 5-10 years. However, we are beginning to see our team's sustainable innovations come to market, including the recent launch of Environmental Solutions Group's electric Refuse Collection Vehicle (eRCV). The eRCV is a significant milestone in the decarbonization pathway for the waste and recycling industries. The corporate center continues to engage with our operating companies on the integration of sustainability into the product development process through product emission working groups. Read more about our sustainable product innovations and product emission working groups on the Innovation for Sustainable Products webpage.
Dover recently launched an internal sustainability website that provides Dover employees with tools and resources to learn about sustainability, understand Dover’s sustainability vision and strategy, and identify opportunities to support Dover’s sustainability efforts. The website includes information on our sustainability reporting and policies, external resources and training, and acronyms and key terms. In addition, GHG Champions and other leaders can use the internal sustainability website to access tools that Dover uses to track operational emissions reduction initiatives and foster collaboration between our operating companies.