The experts from TÜV Rheinland have an answer to this problem – and in an area where the difficulty of data collection is only outweighed by its importance: the emission of the greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. Jia Liu, who works with her team at TÜV Rheinland to monitor customers’ greenhouse gas emissions, explains what’s behind this service: “With our expertise, we verify whether the greenhouse gas emissions data that a company documents are really correct, complete and reliable.”

The “Greenhouse Gas Verification Service” has some 80 auditors worldwide whose tasks typically include evaluating the probability of errors, omissions and misrepresentations in company data. They also determine whether any deviations remain within acceptable thresholds. If so, TÜV Rheinland can certify the claims – and officially report to the customer that the information about their own greenhouse gas emissions is accurate.

But 50 percent of what? What must be measured and how? Down to what level of detail? The energy consumption of a hotel building itself is relatively easy to determine. But what about something like the laundry service that collects and washes all the bed linen every day: how much electricity does that consume? And how should the associated CO2 emissions be calculated? As usual in the world of testing, inspection and certification, none of this is possible without standards: they provide the applicable basis worldwide, creating a kind of common language, so nobody confuses apples with oranges when they’re talking about greenhouse gases. Specific examples of such standards include the “Greenhouse Gas Protocol” – also abbreviated as “GHG” – and “ISO 14064.” Those are the two most widely accepted standards for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

The specialists from TÜV Rheinland, too, work according to GHG and ISO 14064 to provide reliable verification services to customers like Radisson Hotel Group, and thereby help them build trust. And of that result, Sven Wiltink also has no doubt whatsoever: “The partnership between TÜV Rheinland and Radisson Hotel Group demands transparency, especially where our information relative to the measurement of CO2 footprint is concerned. Because most travelers and guests prefer a hotel that keeps its promises regarding sustainability, and also one that doesn’t make misleading claims or engage in greenwashing.”

Anyone who visits the corporate headquarters of Takko Fashion in Telgte near Münster, Germany, is immediately struck by the complexity of the low-cost fashion business. Colorful flags covering a map of the world mark the countries and locations where the company’s wares are produced and sold. “We believe that discount and sustainability don’t have to be mutually exclusive: everyone should be able to afford sustainable and socially responsible products,” says Dirk Stolz, Head of ESG at Takko Fashion.

To guarantee the quality and durability of clothing, chemicals are required in the production processes. In that regard, Takko Fashion’s stated aim is to carefully select chemicals that meet the requirements of environmental protection and occupational health and safety. With that in mind, the company decided to become a full member of ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) to lend force to its commitment on an international scale as well.

The ZDHC initiative and its “Roadmap to Zero” federates more than 320 companies worldwide from the textile, fashion and chemical industries along with testing and inspection services providers, including TÜV Rheinland. Companies committed to compliance with ZDHC criteria can use audits, supply chain seminars, inspections and laboratory analyses to obtain objective, measurable and comparable results and to communicate them transparently. The testing of the chemicals used is based on one of the strictest pollution catalogs in the world today. ZDHC requirements go well beyond statutory regulations such as those of the European Union.

One of ZDHC’s key objectives is to change the conventional mindset in the industry. In the past, for example, the approach was often very closely focused on testing the end product. Today that emphasis has already shifted towards managing the raw materials. Understanding potentially negative environmental impacts in the supply chain is impossible, however, without transparent, standardized and reproducible business and production processes.

The “Input” area deals primarily with the materials and chemicals used in the manufacturing process. “When the materials used are safe, then the end product is too,” explains Steffen Tümptner. Here TÜV Rheinland tests the chemical inventory against the MRSL. This catalog lists substances that may not be used during the production process and specifies clear limit values. It currently comprises 27 substance groups with more than 300 individual substances.

In the “Output” area, TÜV Rheinland investigates all relevant emissions generated during the manufacturing process along with those that remain behind in the product itself. Among other things, this includes analyses of the wastewater and sludge, the waste generated and the waste gas emissions. TÜV Rheinland supports the entire global supply chain, particularly considering the fact that most manufacturers always make products for several brands or dealers, not just one. Here, too, there is a pollutant list with prohibited substances and specified limit values. “The ZDHC has designed the MRSL in the Input area so that certain limit values cannot be exceeded in the Output area,” explains Tümptner. “So when you do clean work in the beginning, you also benefit from it later on in all downstream process steps.”

To ensure that they conform with ZDHC MRSL and customer-specific requirements, companies must have standardized and reproducible production conditions. TÜV Rheinland assists companies and manufacturers here too, with quality management audits, for example.

A small part of this boom can be seen on a windy plain in the southernmost part of the state of Tamil Nadu: operated by the energy company Sembcorp via its subsidiary Green Infra Renewable Energy Limited (GIREL), 16 wind turbine rotors are turning outside the small town of Ottapidaram. Regular visitors to the wind farm include test engineers from TÜV Rheinland such as Senthur Pandian, Arivirco Baskaran, Saravanan Balakrishnan and Ramkumar Murugan. Their job is to ensure that the rotors turn reliably and the huge turbines continue to supply emission-free energy to the people of India for a long time to come.

For companies like Sembcorp, these inspection services provide added security and reduce risk at critical points in the project. The experts from TÜV Rheinland determine whether any components have already suffered damage before the wind turbine is assembled, for example, and whether it has been properly erected. “Investors obtain the assurance that their wind farms are supplying reliable energy and can cover part of the constantly growing demand,” says Rupesh Kumar Singh. The expertise of the specialists from TÜV Rheinland can also be required after a wind turbine goes into service – if an incident occurs, for example, or for a periodic audit. In such cases, the specialists adhere to international standards – such as those of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A qualification that is subject to increasing demand, because there is no end in sight to the expansion boom. According to the latest projections of the United Nations, the population of India will increase by about another 200 million by 2050.

At this 2,200-square-meter independent testing center, 25 employees test drive batteries for EVs from practically all manufacturers. Border crossings are either an integral part of the battery testing procedure or quite simply a geographical necessity: the German-Dutch border runs right through the testing laboratory.

Located in Aachen, Germany, the test center is one of the world’s most advanced independent testing centers for electric vehicle drive batteries. The specialists at TÜV Rheinland Automotive Component Testing GmbH (ACT) mainly test batteries for electrified passenger cars, but also batteries for commercial vehicles, i.e. trucks and agricultural machinery. The test facility is designed for large batteries, so even systems weighing more than 1,200 kilograms can be tested here.

Automakers, engineering service providers, and automotive suppliers rely on this broad range of tests and services, which extends all the way to type approval. “For our customers, ensuring the safety of batteries is an integral part of their development programs. With our services, we provide urgently needed testing capacities, making it possible to equip innovative vehicles with safe drive batteries and place them on the market,” explains Artur Schneider, Managing Director of TÜV Rheinland ACT.

All the EV batteries on our roads have undergone and passed such tests of safety and quality. TÜV Rheinland’s battery testing center is supporting and thereby also accelerating innovation. That’s why the Group sees itself as a trailblazer in society’s transformation to e-mobility, from classic internal combustion engine technology to the electric vehicle.

The battery is of crucial importance for the transformation to electromobility and for the general trust in the technology. “The transformation will only succeed if new development work places equal emphasis on performance, safety and sustainability,” says Artur Schneider. To satisfy their customers’ increasing demands with regard to sustainability, the drive battery testing experts in Aachen have also prioritized this aspect of the test procedures themselves. For example, the wastewater produced during testing is collected and disposed of by a specialized firm. And to ensure that no harmful gases are released into the environment, a multi-stage waste gas purification unit has been developed and installed specifically for the highly exposed areas.