Karl Knauer KG is a 100% carbon-neutral company
10 years of climate initiative involvement for Karl Knauer. Large-scale carbon offsetting project in East Africa
Study findings: Climate neutrality is a race against time
How can we make climate neutrality happen faster? The answer lies in reducing greenhouse gases at a significantly faster pace. According to the current study “Towards a Climate-Neutral Germany by 2045” by the Climate Neutrality Foundation and Agora (1), Germany actually has the potential to become climate neutral before 2050. This would allow Germany to position itself as a lead market and climate protection technology provider in the global drive towards climate neutrality. Whether Germany succeeds is, according to the study, ultimately a question of our collective political will and our society's ability to find creative solutions.
This makes the achievements of Karl Knauer, a company that has received a number of awards for its sustainability policy, even more impressive. “Credible, sustainable economic activity will play an even greater role for future generations when it comes to personal and economic decisions. We are committed to meeting the needs of our customers, employees and partners, as is shown by the fact that we are already a 100 % carbon-neutral company. This means that we already compensate for our carbon footprint in full,” stresses Stefanie Wieckenberg, Managing Partner at Karl Knauer. The packaging expert advocates the conserving of resources during the development of innovative, ecological cardboard materials and minimising the amount of material required. The aim is to achieve an equal if not better packaging product performance.
Carbon-offsetting project: Repair of well systems in Malawi
Since June 2021, Karl Knauer has been supporting the new and ambitious “Well Systems East Africa” project, acquiring Gold Standard CO² certificates with a view to offsetting a significant percentage of its emissions. The TÜV-Nord certification guarantees that 100% of reported carbon emissions are offset. Repairing damaged well systems contributes to a sustainable improvement in living conditions. Providing access to clean water eliminates the necessity of making contaminated water drinkable through wasteful boiling. This saves large quantities of wood and avoids climate-damaging carbon emissions.
Multiple benefits for the local population
“Besides the direct climate impact, the project also contributes to the achievement of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These global goals take into account all three dimensions of sustainability: social justice, environmental protection and sustainable economic activity. The project is set to improve the health of the local population, provide access to clean drinking water and, through forest preservation, protect the local environment as an important habitat for plants and wildlife,” explains project coordinator Arktik GmbH, detailing the other key benefits of the project.
Sustainability across the board
“We reduce and avoid carbon emissions wherever possible,” states award-winning Karl Knauer in its recently published 2020 Sustainability Report. Any carbon emissions that remain unavoidable are offset by the company through its support of international climate protection projects that compensate for such emissions elsewhere.
Sources:
(1) Climate Neutrality Foundation, Agora Energiewende, Agora Verkehrswende, 2021: Towards a Climate-Neutral Germany by 2045”.
