CO2e accounting was performed in early 2021 at the start of the project with the aim of significantly reducing the CO2e emissions of ALPLA’s German plants in Exter, Lübeck and Föritztal. The goal of reducing CO2e emissions as much as possible was then announced, and this was achieved in the first step by means of a conversion to green electricity. This significantly lowered emissions from a good 22,000 tonnes of CO2e in 2020 to just under 2,000 tonnes of CO2e (Scopes 1 and 2) in 2021. For comparison purposes, this saving equates to the CO2e emissions of a good 4,400 passenger vehicles rund normally a year.
Regional reforestation project
In a second step, carbon certificates were purchased for the remaining 2,000 tonnes, to officially make the plants carbon-neutral in accordance with Scopes 1 and 2. With the focus being placed on regional offsetting, a further 500 tonnes of CO2e were voluntarily offset through a reforestation project. This additional effort is supporting the reforestation of damaged areas of and preservation of the forest in Bösingfeld, which is around only 30 kilometres from the Exter plant. The reforestation measures are serving to build up a healthy, environmentally stable mixed forest covering an area of 1.25 hectares. ‘We are delighted to have been able to make a further three plants climate-neutral, thereby significantly further reducing our CO2e emissions. We are also especially delighted to be supporting a regional project with reforestation,’ says Georg Pescher, Managing Director of ALPLA in Germany.
