Climate-neutral sustainability report

Over two thirds of CO2 emissions produced during the production of the new sustainability report for the Volkswagen Group are attributed to paper production, even though especially environmentally-friendly paper with the FSC seal of approval (www.fsc.org) from sustainable forests was used. Then you have to factor in consumer materials, printing plates, machines and transportation. Karlsruhe-based printing press medialogik GmbH tried to produce as few emissions as possible when printing the sustainability report. Emissions that could not be avoided were offset. Having produced 25,000 copies of the sustainability report, medialogik GmbH calculated together with Climate Partner GmbH & Co. KG, factoring in all elements of uncertainty, that emissions amounting to 34,556.07 kg of CO2 were produced. For a visualisation of this number: see www.mycarbonfootprint.eu, where you can find examples of how to save on CO2 in everyday scenarios.

What is meant by "carbon neutral"?
The global increase in greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, plays a huge part in contemporary global warming. As far as climate change is concerned, the location from where greenhouse gases are emitted is of no consequence. This means that emissions caused by printing the report can be offset by reduced emissions by the same amount elsewhere. This helps the sustainability report to be produced on a climate-neutral basis.

Emissions produced during climate-neutral projects are generally offset in projects in developing countries, where project conditions are frequently much cheaper. Climate protection projects in these countries are not only a cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; moreover, they also involve the export of modern technologies for environmentally-friendly production and energy consumption. This really helps to promote sustainable development in these countries. This procedure conforms to the project-based Clean Development Mechanism set out in the Kyoto Protocol. The emissions saved during these projects are verified by the bureau for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (www.unfccc.int). The person in charge of the project receives emissions certificates for the appropriate level. These emissions certificates are then closed off in accordance with their allocation, i.e. they cannot be used elsewhere, e.g. as part of European emissions trading. The climate-neutral criterion can only be fulfilled once the emissions certificates have been closed off.

ClimatePartner GmbH & Co. KG, which issues these certificates, selects projects to support on the basis of stringent criteria. Selected projects must meet the conditions of the Clean Development Mechanism passed by the Kyoto Protocol and, where applicable, the far stricter criteria of the Gold Standard, which was developed by the WWF among others.

Making CO2 savings in India to achieve neutral status
The emissions created when producing the sustainability report were offset in a wind energy project set up by ClimatePartner. The sponsored wind park is located in Vani-Vilas-Sagar, Chitradurga, in the Karnataka region of India.

Currently undergoing expansion, this wind park is in a rural area subjected to strong winds and feeds power into the national power supply. The power generated in this way replaces energy that was previously produced from fossil fuels. The project meets the prerequisites of the project-based Clean Development Mechanism. This means it makes a contribution to the transfer of technology to developing and emerging countries and helps to form the basis for the sustainable development of these countries. ClimatePartner is putting its efforts into obtaining Gold Standard certification for this project (www.cdmgoldstandard.org).

Certified savings
Transparency and credibility are key factors in climate-neutral projects. An auditing company monitors the transfer of funds between ClimatePartner and the corresponding projects, and vouches for their use in accordance with the criteria set. Furthermore, ClimatePartner issues a certificate stating the equivalent amounts of CO2 each time emissions are offset. The auditing company in question confirms when emissions certificates for the corresponding amount have been closed off. The certificate relating to the Volkswagen sustainability report has the identification number <2007020246>. You can enter this number in the top-right corner of the ClimatePartner website (www.climatepartner.de) to see the certificate for yourself. It will appear in a pop-up window, along with information on the project used to offset the effects of the sustainability report.

The Volkswagen Group consciously opted for a printing press that makes a specific effort to reduce CO2 emissions and to offset unavoidable emissions.