Our operational environmental work focuses on reducing our carbon footprint and improving material efficiency, as well as reducing waste, water consumption, and the use of hazardous substances. In order to address the areas that have the most significant environmental impacts, we have been assessing our carbon footprint since 2008.
In 2011 the greenhouse gas emissions of our operations amounted to 249 ktCO2e (thousand metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). The reporting scope has been extended as follows:
- Airfreight has been included in logistics reporting (9 ktCO2e)
- Reporting accuracy has been improved for electricity and heating
- Our employee numbers have increased and more branch offices in China and North America have been included in the reporting scope
Our 2011 operational carbon footprint relative to net sales increased by 0.9% compared to 2010.
Our logistics operations were the main contributor to the total figure. Other significant contributors were our service vehicle fleet, electricity consumption, fuels for heating and cooling, and manufacturing processes, HVAC processes in buildings, and mobility including business air travel and employee commuting.
