Calculation – At Hörmann, sustainability starts in the details
As the basis for our sustainability management, we calculate the CO₂ emissions of our locations every year, in all three scopes of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This means that, in addition to facility management, mobility and office supplies, our calculations also include incoming and outgoing logistics, packaging and input materials for all manufactured products.
Taking stock: Our carbon footprint
CO₂ emissions are greenhouse gases produced by the combustion of various materials containing carbon, such as coal, diesel, wood or liquefied petroleum gas. These processes produce large amounts of CO₂ (carbon dioxide), which is accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere in steadily rising concentrations. CO₂ emissions play a major role in what is referred to as the greenhouse effect.
The carbon footprint for our entire company, or our Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF), was calculated in cooperation with experts from ClimatePartner. In these calculations, we made it a priority to record the consumption data as accurately as possible. For example, we calculated the emissions of our vehicle fleet using fuel consumption data. This consumption data was then multiplied by the official emission factors to calculate the CO₂ emissions. We are also pleased to be receiving more and more primary data from our suppliers on emission factors for the materials we source from them. To be absolutely certain, we also added a safety margin of 10%. The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), which we have calculated for some products, considers all relevant factors, taking into account the three scopes.
Our annual calculation of our Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) is voluntary; it is not required by law. But it tells us exactly where we stand in terms of developing our continual improvement process, and enables us to track the effectiveness of our sustainability activities over time.
Scope 1 – Direct emissions
These CO₂ emissions are produced directly in our company and are within our control. Scope 1 includes the combustion of fossil fuels, such as heating oil in heating systems, as well as fuel consumption by our vehicle fleet, which includes cars for field representatives as well as our own lorries and forklifts in the warehouse. It also includes CO₂ emissions from production plants and from chemical and physical processes, such as emissions produced during painting or coating, as well as refrigerant leakage from air conditioning systems.
For many years now, we have been able to significantly reduce our energy consumption by using energy and fuel efficiently and avoiding heat loss.
Scope 2 – Indirect emissions from external energy suppliers
Indirect CO₂ emissions are those caused by external energy suppliers when they burn fossil fuels for the purpose of producing electricity, district heating / cooling and steam. By switching to 100% purchased green electricity, which does not produce any CO₂ emissions under Scope 2, we have already achieved the zero-tonne CO₂ target for all almost all European locations in Scope 2. The remaining CO₂ emissions are produced in countries where it is not currently possible to purchase green electricity that is comparable, in terms of traceability, to the green electricity provided by our energy supplier Naturstrom.
Scope 3 – Indirect emissions from the value chain
CO₂ emissions that are not under the company’s direct control are reported in Scope 3. These emissions, which are relevant to us but produced in the upstream and downstream supply chain, are also taken into account in our calculations. These include all emissions produced during the extraction and production of the raw materials and input materials we process or use. They also include the emissions from deliveries that relate to our products but are not carried out by vehicles in our own fleet: among these are deliveries of our products to customers, as well as the return of products to the material cycle at the end of their service life.
By voluntarily including Scope 3 in our calculations, we also take responsibility for all upstream and downstream emissions in the value chain. Raw materials account for the majority of our carbon footprint, as most of them cannot yet be sourced in a CO2-neutral way.
Paris Agreement – The goals we’re focusing on
is now the worldwide target limit for a tolerable level of global warming.
is the year by which the global economy has to be CO2-neutral, which means that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to net zero.
is the interval at which national reduction plans have to be resubmitted, successively tightened and adapted to technological progress.
Greenhouse Gas Protocol – Calculating emissions in accordance with international standards
We have calculated our carbon footprint in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). This internationally acknowledged accounting and reporting standard for greenhouse gases is based on five fundamental principles:
Relevance: All essential emission sources are taken into account in the calculation of the Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) and should be used to inform both internal and external decision-making.
Completeness: All relevant emission sources within the system boundaries must be taken into account.
Consistency: Accounting methods and system boundaries are recorded to allow for comparisons of results in subsequent years. Any changes to methods or system boundaries must be disclosed and justified.
Accuracy: Distortions and uncertainties should be reduced as far as possible so that the results provide a sound basis for decision-making.
Transparency: Results must be presented in a transparent and clearly comprehensible manner.
