Petainer's Swedish Plant Achieves Extended Carbon Neutrality

Petainer are delighted to announce that they have taken operations at their Lidköping factory to carbon neutral for another year. Responsible for global supply with a Nordics and European focus, Petainer’s Swedish production site is the first in the region to have achieved carbon neutral operations. This announcement follows closely behind Petainer’s reporting of emissions reductions through the carbon disclosure charity CDP and recent commendations at the Drinks Business Green Awards for Renewable Energy and Green Company of the Year.

We speak with Sustainability Lead Dr Michael Joyes about this achievement.

Could you explain what it means to be carbon neutral operations?

One of the most common byproducts of manufacture is the release of carbon dioxide. Different processes release different amounts of CO2, and these are generally defined as Scope 1, 2 and 3. Scope 1 covers our direct emissions, including vehicle fleets and facilities. Scope 2 covers emissions released through purchased electricity and district heating. Finally, Scope 3 covers indirect emissions such as employee commuting and purchased services. Petainer has worked to reduce these emissions as far as reasonably possible. What’s left are known as ‘unavoidable emissions’ and are challenging to decarbonise. One option is to offset these emissions through carbon offset schemes.

By offsetting our remaining scope 1 and selected Scope 3 emissions, we can declare our operations at our Lidköping site ‘carbon neutral’.

Can you describe carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is a process in which a company invests in decarbonisation. This investment, whether in energy generation or similar, will eliminate, or offset the emissions that would have arisen had the investment not been made.

Petainer partnered with ClimatePartner to measure its Corporate Carbon Footprint. ClimatePartner are experts in emissions accounting and reduction strategies powered by carbon offset projects. Each project is verified by independent organisations, who confirm the amount of CO2 saved and then sell this saving as Certified Emissions Reductions.

In our case, we are pleased to fund the generation of wind power in Brazil, reducing the need for fossil fuel powered energy generation in the region. We have offset a total of nearly 2 million kg of CO2 with this program, with a 10% buffer in the emissions produced at the factory.

Do you plan to continue offsetting in the future?

The power of sustainable and transparent manufacture can’t be overstated. With clarity from us at Petainer on the cradle to factory gate, downstream production can take place with credible carbon reduction policies in place. It also allows us to continue to grow in a sustainable manner. We intend to extend the offsetting of our operations at Lidköping to cover the next calendar year as well.