Mitigating climate change
As the transition to a net zero-carbon economy accelerates, we continue to raise the bar on how we can reduce climate-related impacts, mitigate risks and harness growth opportunities.
In support of the objectives of the UN Paris Agreement, we have already significantly reduced our emissions over the last decade. We have also identified operational goals to continue minimizing the environmental impact that we have on our planet, by setting ambitious targets including a reduction of absolute GHG emissions, total waste and water consumption intensity.
We also focus on improving the eco-efficiency of our facilities and circularity of products as a key component in our sustainability approach.
How we measure and report our greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse emissions in CO2-equivalents are reported at three levels:
Each year, we calculate our greenhouse gas emissions inventory, estimating CO2 equivalent emissions. This allows us to measure progress against our targets. Our focus is on further reducing carbon emissions while growing revenues. Between 2009 and 2021, we reduced emissions per ton of product by 9%.
To support our customers, we also conduct life cycle assessments and provide product carbon footprints (PCFs) and environmental product declarations (EPDs) when needed.
See our environmental data sheet and sustainability report for more details.
* For all footnotes, please see ESG Factsheet.
* For all footnotes, please see ESG Factsheet.
We aim to achieve our emissions reduction target through a wide range of actions, with a focus on energy efficiency measures and increasing our renewable energy usage.
We have a strong drive to embed continuous improvement in manufacturing, energy efficiency and consumption across the supply chain. We track and report our eco-efficiency performance on a quarterly and annual basis using Enablon’s EHS software package. The input is checked and validated twice a year. Since 2009, we have incrementally decreased our energy intensity while also supporting customers’ sustainability ambitions.
For example, our Integrated Manufacturing Model in Brazil provides pulp mill customers with a cost-effective solution to produce bleaching chemicals and creates sustainability benefits. Our facility is powered by renewable energy from biomass generated as a by product in the pulp mills, and proximity to the customer reduces the need to transport products, reducing our carbon footprint, improving safety, and creating a more circular model.
* For all footnotes, please see ESG Factsheet.
In 2020, 56% of our energy came from low-carbon and renewable sources, such as hydro, wind, solar, biomass for power, and steam from bio-waste. This was a slight increase from the year prior. We have set the goal to further increase the share of our purchased low-carbon and renewable energy to more than 60% by 2025.
For example, we source renewable energy using trusted approaches, such as assets owned by Nouryon, Purchase Power Agreements (PPA) with third parties, or energy attribute certificates backed by recognized industry standards and documentation.
To strengthen our sustainable energy sourcing capabilities, in 2020 we established the Nouryon Energy Team (NET). The NET brings together cross-functional expertise in Energy, Procurement, Operations, and Sustainability to further optimize and develop a comprehensive Energy Management Plan of sustainable and low-carbon energy solutions across the company.
We invite you to read more about all of the progress we are making in this report. And, as in previous years, we transparently report relevant data, including a clear overview of our Environmental, Social, and Governance
(ESG) data. Thank you for your interest in Nouryon’s contribution to a
sustainable future.
