Packaging firm SIG Combibloc has revealed that it has already met its 2020 goal to source 100% renewable energy, and achieved Gold Standard CO2 offset for all non-renewable energy at production plants.
The company made the switch to green electricity in 2017 and is now in the process of sourcing renewable alternatives for the remaining energy used in production that comes from natural gas.
GoldPower Standard
SIG said that it is purchasing biogas certificates that recognise the GoldPower standard to offset 100% of the natural gas used at its production sites as of 1 January 2018.
“We achieved a big milestone last year by securing 100% renewable electricity for production. Sourcing renewable alternatives for gas was even more challenging because the market for renewable biogas is not yet well established,” Arnold Schuhwerk, SIG’s global category manager for energy procurement, said.
SIG is sourcing renewable biogas indirectly (with no viable option to do it directly), by supporting projects to build and operate new waste-to-energy systems in China, Thailand, and Turkey.
Supporting Environmental Savings
“We are supporting projects that capture harmful greenhouse gases from landfill and convert these into energy,” said Schuhwerk.
“We chose the projects because they are certified to a recognised standard to make sure they have a positive social impact, as well as supporting environmental savings.”
All other remaining forms of greenhouse emissions from its production sites are also being offset in order to completely eliminate emissions.
The switch to renewable gas will save an estimated 28,600 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year. This will make an important contribution towards SIG’s targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, and by 60% by 2040 (2016 base-year).
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
