Full offsetting of energy-related emissions

Packaging and promotional products specialist Karl Knauer has been working hard for decades to reduce its production-based carbon emissions to an absolute minimum as part of its comprehensive sustainability management plan. To give an example, its Biberach site is supplied with 100 percent of the electricity it needs from renewable sources, including the company’s own photovoltaic systems.

Unavoidable emissions stemming from the procurement of energy or district heating, for instance, are identified, recorded, and offset. The offsetting conforms to the particularly stringent Gold Standard specifications set out by the BVDM (German Printing and Media Industries Federation) in its climate initiative. Karl Knauer is currently backing a project in Eritrea aimed at repairing existing wells – a project that enables the company to retain its membership of the BVDM climate scheme. The aim of the project supported by Karl Knauer is to restore the supply of clean drinking water to local communities so that people no longer need to boil water before use. The measure saves 122,000 tons of firewood in a year. “It’s important to us to fulfil our responsibility towards the environment, and especially towards people. This is why we choose projects for our offsetting measures that have a demonstrably positively impact on local environments and quality of life for local people – and that’s certainly the case with the well project in Eritrea,” says Stefanie Wieckenberg, Managing Partner at Karl Knauer, explaining the company’s commitment.