Hansa for Future

Climate change poses a massive challenge and is the defining task of our time. The consequences of global warming are becoming increasingly evident, and the pressure on policymakers and businesses is growing. There is now a global consensus that we must urgently take action to combat human-induced climate change.

The success of emission reductions depends largely on voluntary and consistent action by the business community in industrialized nations. We at Hansa Klimasysteme are therefore also prepared to take responsibility for the world we leave to our children and grandchildren.

Greenhouse gases are distributed evenly throughout the atmosphere. Therefore, it makes sense to avoid emissions where the costs are lowest. In addition, projects in emerging and developing countries contribute to improving the economic, social, and environmental situation and support the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For emerging and developing countries, emissions trading is a key driver for the transfer of clean technologies and sustainable economic development.

The greenhouse gas inventory compiled by Fokus Zukunft provides a transparent overview of the greenhouse gas emissions from our company and our products. The report thus constitutes an important component of our commitment to climate protection. Based on the key figures identified, we are now implementing concrete reduction measures at the site level and throughout our supply chain. In addition, we have offset the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our operational and product-related activities by purchasing a total of 4,555 climate protection certificates for the year 2025. Here is the link to the validation. 
 

Why is our company committed to global climate protection?

The international community has agreed that global warming must be limited to below 2 degrees Celsius—or, better yet, to 1.5 degrees—to prevent catastrophic consequences. However, the current commitments made by individual countries are only sufficient to limit warming to a maximum of 4 degrees. Closing this ambition gap requires additional and substantial commitment from both companies and citizens. We have recognized that voluntary emissions reductions and offsetting unavoidable emissions are essential to effectively combat climate change.

What is a CO₂ footprint?

The carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases (measured in CO₂ equivalents) generated directly and indirectly by the activities of an individual, a company, an organization, or a product. It takes into account emissions resulting from raw materials, production, transportation, trade, use, recycling, and disposal. The fundamental concept behind the carbon footprint is therefore to establish a basis on which impacts on the climate can be measured, assessed, and compared. This makes it possible to identify necessary reduction potentials, develop measures, and evaluate their effectiveness.

The term “corporate carbon footprint” refers to a company’s carbon footprint, while “product carbon footprint” refers to a product’s carbon footprint.

How were our company’s CO₂ emissions calculated?

We commissioned the external sustainability consulting firm Fokus Zukunft to calculate the carbon footprints of our company and our products. The emissions inventory was calculated using the Corporate Standard of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. A cradle-to-gate approach was chosen as the system boundary for determining product-related emissions, taking into account emissions from the upstream supply chain.

What is reported according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?

Emissions are categorized within the Greenhouse Gas Protocol into Scopes 1, 2, and 3, each of which covers different types of greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from our own energy facilities. Scope 2 captures emissions that arise indirectly from the provision of energy to the company. Scope 3 emissions are other indirect emissions that occur throughout the entire value chain.

Which greenhouse gases are included in the calculation?

The calculation of greenhouse gas emissions includes the seven major greenhouse gases defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

What are CO₂ equivalents?

Not all seven major greenhouse gases have the same impact. Methane, for example, is 21 times as harmful to the climate as CO₂, nitrous oxide 310 times as harmful, and sulfur hexafluoride as much as 14,000 times as harmful. To compare emissions, all greenhouse gases are therefore converted to CO₂ equivalents. This is referred to as CO₂ equivalents.

How are the collected consumption data converted into greenhouse gas emissions?

The collected consumption data (such as electricity consumption or fuel consumption) is converted using emission factors, which specify the emissions per unit (e.g., per kilowatt-hour of electricity or per liter of gasoline). The emission factors are primarily sourced from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), but also from the GEMIS database (Global Emissions Model of Integrated Systems, IINAS) and the Ecoinvent database, and are updated regularly.