Dutch e-commerce site bol.com, part of the Ahold Delhaize group, has been recognised as climate neutral by the Climate Neutral Group (CNG).
It has become the first e-commerce company in the Netherlands and Belgium to carry the Climate Neutral Certification label, the retail group noted.
Bol.com Achieves Climate Neutral Certification
Together with the CNG, bol.com mapped the entire CO2 emissions of its processes and set reduction targets in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement.
This means that bol.com calculates emissions from the moment items arrive in its fulfilment centres until delivery to the front door of the customer, and at all points in between.
The group attempts to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible and what remains is compensated for according to the criteria of CNG.
For the 49,000 sales partners who sell through the platform, the operational emissions are calculated, which online retailer also offsets.
Jori Ebskamp, lead CSR and sustainability at bol.com, said, "To reduce our own CO2 emissions, we have already taken steps to make our buildings, packaging, deliveries and returns more sustainable. In the coming years, our focus will be on further reduction, in line with the conditions of CNG.
"We also support our sales partners in reducing their emissions, for example by sharing knowledge and offering logistics services that make their processes more sustainable. In addition, we now also offset their operational emissions. Because together with all our sales partners, we can really make an impact."
Jouke Roelfzema, CO2 specialist E-commerce at Climate Neutral Group, added, "By receiving the label, bol.com is the first e-commerce party in the Netherlands and Belgium to be climate-neutral certified according to the Climate Neutral Certification standard. This makes them an inspiring example for the rest of the industry. We hope this will also encourage other organisations to start reducing their climate impact."
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CO2 Emissions
To receive the certification, an organisation must have insight into the CO2 emissions across all of its processes.
The calculation for bol.com includes the impact of fulfilment centres, offices and server locations, as well as energy consumption, packaging, and delivery.
For sales partners using the platform, the calculated emissions consist of an estimate of the impact of their energy consumption, packaging, and delivery.
Auditing Sustainability Measures
In recent years, bol.com has implemented various measures to further reduce its own emissions.
The group has switched to 100% wind and solar energy for its buildings and reduced packaging material use with smart packing machines.
The reduction measures and compensation will be monitored by an independent auditor, the retailer noted.
This auditor will conduct an annual assessment on whether bol.com is achieving its reduction goals and complying with the CNG's climate neutrality standard.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Technology news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
