Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University

Bursa Technical University (BTU) is committed to achieving sustainability goals and has taken significant steps in this direction. This study was conducted in accordance with the emission factors of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the conversion factors of the Department of Environment...

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Main Authors: Somaia Shahin, Samet ÖZTÜRK
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bursa Technical University 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Innovative Science and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jise.btu.edu.tr/en/download/article-file/4139383
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author Somaia Shahin
Samet ÖZTÜRK
author_facet Somaia Shahin
Samet ÖZTÜRK
author_sort Somaia Shahin
collection DOAJ
description Bursa Technical University (BTU) is committed to achieving sustainability goals and has taken significant steps in this direction. This study was conducted in accordance with the emission factors of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the conversion factors of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The study was carried out in line with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14064 and ISO 14001 standards and in harmony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), drawing on the experiences of five Turkish universities. This paper provides detailed information on BTU's carbon footprint calculation methodology, the standards used, and its alignment with the SDGs. The application of two distinct emission factors, those of EPA and DEFRA, yielded divergent carbon footprint (CF) values for BTU. The EPA approach yielded a value of 2697 tCO2e while the DEFRA-based assessment resulted in a lower CF of 1526 ton of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). It is noted that most of the carbon emissions in the university is due to electricity consumption followed by natural gas usage. A prioritized action plan could be reducing the electricity consumption with automated lighting and laboratory equipment, subsequently increasing energy efficiency in the buildings.
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spelling doaj-art-d9ddc306da2341178ca2ed006c3684722025-08-20T03:17:59ZengBursa Technical UniversityJournal of Innovative Science and Engineering2602-42172025-06-0191788810.38088/jise.1531963Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical UniversitySomaia Shahin0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2708-5039Samet ÖZTÜRK1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5969-1534Bursa Technical UniversityBursa Technical UniversityBursa Technical University (BTU) is committed to achieving sustainability goals and has taken significant steps in this direction. This study was conducted in accordance with the emission factors of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the conversion factors of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The study was carried out in line with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14064 and ISO 14001 standards and in harmony with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), drawing on the experiences of five Turkish universities. This paper provides detailed information on BTU's carbon footprint calculation methodology, the standards used, and its alignment with the SDGs. The application of two distinct emission factors, those of EPA and DEFRA, yielded divergent carbon footprint (CF) values for BTU. The EPA approach yielded a value of 2697 tCO2e while the DEFRA-based assessment resulted in a lower CF of 1526 ton of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). It is noted that most of the carbon emissions in the university is due to electricity consumption followed by natural gas usage. A prioritized action plan could be reducing the electricity consumption with automated lighting and laboratory equipment, subsequently increasing energy efficiency in the buildings.http://jise.btu.edu.tr/en/download/article-file/4139383sustainabilitycarbon footprintepadefraghgsdgs
spellingShingle Somaia Shahin
Samet ÖZTÜRK
Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
Journal of Innovative Science and Engineering
sustainability
carbon footprint
epa
defra
ghg
sdgs
title Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
title_full Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
title_fullStr Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
title_short Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Assessment Using EPA and DEFRA: A Case Study of Bursa Technical University
title_sort comprehensive carbon footprint assessment using epa and defra a case study of bursa technical university
topic sustainability
carbon footprint
epa
defra
ghg
sdgs
url http://jise.btu.edu.tr/en/download/article-file/4139383
work_keys_str_mv AT somaiashahin comprehensivecarbonfootprintassessmentusingepaanddefraacasestudyofbursatechnicaluniversity
AT sametozturk comprehensivecarbonfootprintassessmentusingepaanddefraacasestudyofbursatechnicaluniversity