Archives: Companies

 

Robberechts is a manufacturer of furniture. They have been working to calculate and reduce the emissions of the company since 2015, resulting in a total emission reduction of 15% ! Also this year 2020, the emissions kept going down  by 4%. The company wanted to go one step further and has offset all emissions (except from the emissions from gas combustion) by supporting the cookstove project in china, converting the combustion of coal in inefficient and polluting stoves, to efficient stoves using agricultural waste (e.g. corn residues).

Robberechts only uses wood with a PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certificate for building their furniture. By installing solar panels they produce their own energy, which lowers CO2-emissions by 461 tonnes per year.

website Robberechts

Sodexo offers on-site services (catering, reception, conciergerie, cleaning, etc.), and is a big player on the market of vouchers (e.g. lunch pass, ecocheques, etc.). In the past CO2logic has been working with Sodexo on the climate impact of their on-site services of their own headquarter. As a result of this project, the on-site services have become carbon neutral. Last year however, they went a step further and have been working on the total emissions of the headquarters, as well for on-site services as for the benefits and reward (voucher) departments. After a calculations and a set of workshops, Sodexo Belgium decided to set itself a very ambitious reduction target of almost 50% by 2025 and 75% by 2030. A very big part of the reduction efforts focus on mobility. They also decided that while engaging in this process, they already wanted to become carbon neutral for their headquarters as of this year. Therefore they have offset 2418 tCO2 with the cookstove project in China, converting the combustion of coal in inefficient and polluting stoves to efficient stoves using agricultural waste (e.g. corn residues). This corresponds to the Offsetting of the CO2 emissions resulting from all activities (scope 1, 2 & 3) provided at the headquarter (Boulevard de la Plaine 15, 1050 Bruxelles) including Facility Services (Food Services, Vending, Reception, Conciergerie, Hygiene & Cleaning, Support & Mailroom, Meeting Room Management, Technical Maintenance & Energy services, Infrastructure Management), Benefits & Rewards Services (production, transport et management of paper and electronic vouchers) as well as the mobility of their employees.

website sodexo

Scope: Scope 1 + 2 + 3 (business trips, commuting, food, paper, waste, IT equipment, freight)

 

Ethias has calculated its carbon footprint for many years over a very wide scope. In order to reduce its climatic impact, numerous reduction actions have already been implemented, notably relating to the reduction of energy consumption, the improvement of equipment in buildings, the implementation of new office management processes (free-chilling), the intra-European purchasing policy to limit travel, the car fleet, and finally on the development of innovative products such as eco-tariffs rewarding “CO2 friendly” behavior.

 

In addition, Ethias has developed a dynamic mobility policy. Carpooling and soft mobility are strongly encouraged among staff, in particular through the provision of facilities for these “eco-employees”. Reserved parking, loan of “company bikes” as part of the “All active bikes” program, full reimbursement of public transport subscriptions,… are some material incentives that promote better respect for the environment.

 

In addition, Ethias has decided to go further this year and take full responsibility for its climate impact by offsetting its residual emissions. For this, Ethias has chosen to support a forest conservation and sustainable agriculture project in Zambia, certified by the VCS standard. More than 395 farmers have benefited from the support of Ethias, whose actions have achieved the following positive impacts:

 

• 1,177,086 trees saved
• 2,552 hectares of protected forests
• 5,495 tCO2 sequestered

website Ethias environmental initiatives

Little Big Change diapers and pants have a CO2-NEUTRAL® production.
This label can only be achieved through credible climate action.

An Ontex intiative

In May 2020, Drylock Technologies has been awarded the CO2-Neutral Factory Label for its efforts to reduce its CO2 emissions in three European production plants (Buccinasco, Hradek, Segovia).  

The factories focus on two important pillars. The first pillar is energy-efficiency. Drylock Technologies has recent production lines which enable the close monitoring and reduction of energy consumption. The second pillar is the switch to green energy. The production processes require a lot of electrical energy and, depending on the country, this can have a significant impact on the climate. It is therefore extremely important to switch to renewable energy and thus support the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

This has already been achieved for all three factories since January 2020. “Having sustainable and environmentally friendly products and manufacturing units is very important to us,” said Werner van Ingelgem, spokesman for the management of Drylock Technologies. “We want our customers to feel comfortable when using our products but also see this as a social obligation that benefits all parties. So we will keep on pushing the limits towards ever more sustainability.”

The impact of their energy for production in 2020 and onwards will hence no longer have a global negative impact on the climate thanks to the company’s efforts to reduce its footprint. In parallel, but also through their commitment to offset some (and progressively more) of the still unavoidable CO2 emissions in production (heating needs with fossil fuels) they have decided to take their responsibility for the remaining CO2 emissions & climate impact instead of transferring this to society & future generations. Through the support of the certified climate project Drylock Technologies supports the production of renewable energy in developing countries, which has a positive impact on the climate, but also takes into account the needs of the local population (improved air quality, gender equality, access to affordable and clean energy, etc.).

Furthermore,  Drylock has also committed to supporting a Brazilian Native Forest Conservation project to save it from deforestation. Going beyond CO2-neutral factories the company intends to cover the climate impact of some of its products.  Together with CO2logic, the company has calculated the CO2 intensity of its diapers and will hence also start to take its responsibility for the impact of a select number of products which will carry the CO2-Neutral Product Label.

website Drylock Technologies

SipWell, the Belgian water producer and market leader in water coolers, is fully committed to its green ambition and has taken a major step towards reducing its ecological footprint. For these efforts, it received the CO2 Neutral ® label in April. Thanks to CO2 compensation, SipWell ensures that all activities of the company – from bottling over administration and logistics to delivery to the customer – are now CO2 neutral. This makes SipWell the very first water cooler producer in Belgium to achieve this ambitious goal.

To minimize the company’s carbon footprint, SipWell is working on several environmental aspects simultaneously: recycling, production and transport.

The entire water bottling process is all about reuse. Initially there is the reuse of the water bottles. A large 18.9 liter water bottle is equivalent to 1,134 PET bottles over its entire lifespan. During the production process, the bottles are cleaned with biodegradable products and a minimum of water. In addition, the filling process in the bottling plant is almost fully automated, so that water waste does not stand a chance. This makes the bottling plant one of the most modern in Europe.

The water coolers are then recycled. They receive a second or even a third life as a raw material for new products. The bottle caps are also recycled. The latest model water cooler from SipWell also consumes considerably less (energy / raw material) than all previous water coolers, which leads to greater durability. The cooling gas from the coolers is also recaptured for reuse.

Due to local water production in Belgium, far fewer transport kilometers are needed than for water from foreign water sources. In addition, SipWell constantly invests in more ecological logistics. For example, the van fleet will soon be replaced and expanded with hybrid vans and fully electric vans from MAN.

Despite the various measures that SipWell is taking to reduce its CO2 emissions, residual emissions remain unavoidable in the production process of drinking water and water coolers. To fully reduce its impact on the climate to zero, SipWell has decided to offset its production processes by supporting Gold Standard and VCS-CCB certified climate projects. SipWell supports a number of international projects, which among other things make drinking water more accessible and prevent deforestation. It concerns the three certified climate projects of CO2logic in Africa, namely the Eritrea project, Ghana Cookstoves and Zambia Agroforestry.

“At SipWell we are extremely proud of our CO2 neutrality. On the one hand, we highlight our ambition to reduce the climate impact of water coolers. On the other hand, this is a unique project in Belgium to sensitize consumers to the climate impact of each plastic bottle of water and to offer them the opportunity to give something back to the climate. Because those who consume drinking water mainly through water coolers have less plastic waste” says Peter Henderickx (General Manager SipWell)

website sipwell

VMx vzw is  is a CO2-NEUTRAL® company.
This label can only be achieved through credible climate action.

website VMx vzw

Nivelinvest  is a CO2-NEUTRAL® company.
This label can only be achieved through credible climate action.

website Nivelinvest