Curriculum Associates – Dhruv Khanna – 2025
Summary
Dhruv Khanna advanced Curriculum Associates’ sustainability strategy by building a GHG methodology, supplier toolkit, and decarbonization roadmap.
Goals
Dhruv Khanna, a Master of Environmental Studies candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, joined Curriculum Associates (CA) as a 2025 EDF Climate Corps Fellow. CA, a leading education company, sought to better understand and address its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly Scope 3 emissions from its suppliers and value chain. With over 90% of emissions tied to upstream and downstream partners, the goal was to build a clear methodology, engage suppliers, and chart a practical decarbonization roadmap for the company’s future.
Solutions
To tackle this challenge, Dhruv focused on three core areas: improving CA’s GHG methodology, developing a supplier engagement toolkit, and creating a supply chain decarbonization roadmap.
GHG Methodology: He reviewed CA’s 2022-2024 emissions data, clarified inconsistencies, and introduced a new hybrid accounting framework that combines activity-based (e.g., fuel use, electricity consumption) and spend-based (supplier spend × emission factor) approaches.
Supplier Engagement: He evaluated CA’s top suppliers, screened them against sustainability commitments (such as CDP disclosures and Science Based Targets), and designed a Supplier Engagement Toolkit with outreach templates, a sustainability scorecard, and screening criteria.
Decarbonization Roadmap: He built a strategy anchored in supplier engagement, sustainable paper sourcing, shipping/logistics improvements, renewable energy credits, and green building retrofits. Many strategies were supported with cost-benefit analyses, showing potential savings and emissions reductions.
Potential Impact
If implemented, Dhruv’s recommendations could substantially reduce CA’s Scope 3 emissions while aligning the company with global best practices in sustainability. For example, shifting to recycled fiber and FSC-certified paper and closed-loop recovery pilots could save 100+ metric tons of CO’e annually, while logistics optimization with SmartWay carriers could reduce transportation emissions by 10’15%. His roadmap sets suggested targets such as reducing Scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2030 and reaching net-zero across the value chain by 2040. The project not only positions CA as a leader in sustainable education publishing but also provides a replicable framework for supplier-driven decarbonization across the sector.
