Case study Erdgas Schwaben

Gas supplier certified as carbon neutral

_{(May 2009)}

Sustainable processes and operations are playing an increasingly important role in companies' economic success. For clients, sustainability has gradually grown into a key decision factor. Energy suppliers are a particular focus of interest: they need to offer market-oriented terms and conditions while also developing and implementing climate-change measures. TÜV SÜD Industrie Service recently confirmed that gas supplier Erdgas Schwaben has succeeded in achieving a 'zero carbon footprint'. This means that an organisation does not cause more CO2 emissions than it cuts or saves in its operations or elsewhere.

"The project at Erdgas Schwaben shows that integrated planning can lead to a marked improvement of the carbon footprint. This project truly did not omit any opportunity of reducing emissions", says Dr Sven Kolmetz, Head of Carbon Management Service at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service. The greenhouse gas inventory included all emissions caused by the organisation's administration structure and the electrical equipment it uses for transporting the gas to the consumer. Certification also includes travel by the company's 250 staff to and from work as well as business trips. All greenhouse gas emissions associated with the organisation are on the debit side of the equation. For a 'zero carbon footprint', the debit and the credit side must be balanced out.

Climate-neutral business operations

Organisations can also offset their greenhouse-gas inventories by means of activities extending beyond their actual business operations. Erdgas Schwaben, for example, invested in the production of green heat and power to offset some of its emissions. The gas supplier supported its clients in building rehabilitation and in the use of efficient technologies such as mini co-generation units and gas-heat pumps (GHP). The 'zero carbon footprint' was finally achieved by a project within the scope of emissions trading. In Yuntdag, Turkey, the Bavarian gas supplier invested in a wind farm which feeds 42.4 megawatts of power into the Turkish grid every year. This is equal to a cut of approx. 113,000 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions.

For Dr Sven Kolmetz, the project is a perfect example: "I would even say that in this case, further CO2 reductions are next to impossible.“ TÜV SÜD certification now provides Erdgas Schwaben with a credible documentation of its 'zero carbon footprint'.