Reference Case: Corporate Carbon Footprint for a Packaging Manufacturer - Germany

In order to make a concrete assessment of the CO2 footprint of a television, for example, many factors have to be taken into account: the production of components, the assembly and finally packaging and transportation. Accordingly, Prowell, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of corrugated sheetboards, had been receiving a growing number of questions about emissions during packaging production. After all, the television manufacturer can only provide reliable information on carbon dioxide emissions if it has all the values for the packaging. The problem is that international standards that could be used to compare Prowell’s products to those of the competition.

TÜV Rheinland developed a solution and, at the same time, produced a world first. For the first time, Prowell applied the international ISO 14067 standard to measure the CO2 footprint of products, even though the brand new standard is still in its draft stage. At the same time, a new standard was defined along with the certification for eight different corrugated sheetboards. This standard is going to set the bar for all Prowell’s competitors in the future. Why? Because TÜV Rheinland has initiated a globally-applicable calculation method and a corresponding calculation standard based on it. The result is a “Product Category Rule” that applies to all CO2 calculations of corrugated sheetboards and which will be binding from now through June 2016.

Due to the lack of credible information the CO2 emissions of various products and components statements, many companies are increasingly facing difficult questions. This problem can be solved by applying reliable methods and calculation bases, as these form the basis for comparing values objectively.” External certification is no longer required if the new ISO standard on carbon dioxide is fulfilled, provided the results are published in accordance with the ISO standard. For Prowell, this precise calculation of CO2 emissions not only makes communication with the customer easier; it is also now being used as a tangible marketing instrument. After all, the newly developed corrugated sheetboards offer better stability than ever before, and at a lighter weight. Reviewing the new production plants was another important aspect for internal evaluation, given that their efficiency directly affects the calculation of the products’ greenhouse emissions.

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With the assistance of TÜV Rheinland to determine the corporate carbon footprint, Prowell could

• improve their energy efficiency with lower operating costs
• identify the most cost-effective opportunities for emission reduction and save costs by reducing CO2 emissions
• carbon footprint assessment gives you strong arguments when competing against less climate-friendly companies
• increase transparency of all processes and identify "emission hotspots"
• achieve emission reduction objectives and improve the transparency of their emission data
• increase reliability by demonstrating the credibility, consistency, and clarity of GHG quantifying, monitoring, and reporting
• build a basis for development and implementation of a future GHG management strategy
• improve management of internal GHG data and processes
• take advantage of an effective public marketing tool