Less would have been more...

For 2019, our second greenhouse gas balance shows an absolute sum of 855.16 tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e). Unfortunately, this means an increase of 98.85 tons or 13.1% compared to the previous year. Since our sales volume has only increased slightly, the relative value per ton has grown by 11.3% as well.

Partly, this increase can be explained by the fact, that we have expanded the scope of the balance sheet: to determine our transport-related GHG emissions in 2018, we only considered the net weight of our products, while we now show the gross weights, i.e. including packaging and pallets (+21.2 tons of CO2e). We are now also recording the climate impact of the materials we use when repackaging goods (+9.4 tons of CO2e). In addition, our entire furniture, purchased for our new office location and hopefully with us for many years, is included in the balance sheet (+8.4 tons of CO2e). Only these adjustments result in an additional 39 tons of CO2 equivalent.

But that is only half the truth. We had to record a significant increase in our transport-related carbon emissions also, because of a 32% increase in our transport kilometers per ton. The main reasons were additional exports from Germany to Asia (+75.9 tons of CO2e). Furthermore, the average truck transport routes to our customers for dicarboxylic acids have increased significantly.

Only those who know their carbon emissions can reduce them

Without a doubt, we would have wished for a better result and will use the available data as an opportunity to improve, in particular through optimized logistics processes. Our present carbon footprint provides us with important information on this, since a comparison with the previous year is possible now for the first time and potential for improvement could have been identified.

We will continue to work hard reducing our emissions so that we can offer our customers all products and services carbon-neutral exclusively by 2030.

We offset our entire carbon footprint of 855.16 tonnes of CO2 equivalent by purchasing, respectively cancelling high quality carbon credits, which means our business operations are climate neutral now. All information and backgrounds on this can be found on the following page>

Summary and detailed overview of the single categories

t CO2e % Difference from
previous year
Scope 1 0.00 0.00% -
- - - -
Scope 2 8.37 0.98% -43.2%
Electricity 1.00 0.12% -70.8%
Natural gas 0.52 0.06% +96.4%
District heating 3.17 0.37% -
Heating oil 3.69 0.43% -66.7%
Scope 3 846.79 99.02% +14.2%
3.1 Purchased goods and services 23.80 2.78% +186.4%
3.3 Fuel and energy related emissions 1.89 0.22% -36.4%
3.4 Transportation and distribution (upstream) 781.83 91.42% +13.9%
3.6 Business travel 34.55 4.04% -9.9%
3.7 Employee commuting 4.72 0.55% -11.6%
 
total emissions (t CO2e) 855.16 100% +13.1%

 

This greenhouse gas balance covers all carbon emissions caused by MATSEN CHEMIE AG through its business activities within the defined inventory boundaries in 2019.

In order to prevent possible uncertainties and to determine a realistic emission value, a safety margin of 5 percent was taken into account in the accounting. The accounting corresponds to the guidelines, principles and methods of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol "Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard" and its extension, the "Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard". The determination of the data and their evaluation was carried out transparently and to the best of our knowledge and belief.

You can find our entire 2019 carbon footprint with all associated sources and emission factors here>.

GHG emissions in KG CO2e
per 1000kg of products sold

2018
2019
Scope 2 (direct emissions)
8.37 tCO2e

Electricity

Heating oil

District heating

Natural gas

2018
2019
Transportation &
distribution
781.8 tCO2e

Seagoing ship

Truck

Barge & airfreight

2018
2019
Business travel
34.55 tCO2e

Train

Car

Hotel accomodation

Airplane

2018
2019
Employee commuting
4.72 tCO2e

Public transportation

Car

2018
2019
Purchased goods & services
23.80 tCO2e

Paper products

Telephones

Laptops / tablets / screens

Office furniture

Packaging material

2018
2019

CO2 -Equivalent (CO2e)

In addition to carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases contribute to increasing the greenhouse effect in the earth's atmosphere. These include, in particular, methane, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and various refrigerants. In order to make the effects of the different greenhouse gases comparable, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) defined the respective global warming potential of the individual chemical compounds. This expresses the heating effect of a certain amount of a greenhouse gas over a period of 100 years compared to CO2.

 

GHG Protocol accounting guidlines

  • Relevance: Identification of all major emission sources within the organisational and operational system boundaries of the company.
  • Completeness: Complete recording of all emissions within the selected system boundaries or along the value chain, as well as comprehensible justification and documentation of exceptions.
  • Continuity: Consistent application of the selected accounting method over time to faciliate comparison with subsequent years.
  • Transparency: Comprehensible documenting of the data used, the accounting method and all assumptions made.
  • Accuracy: Avoiding systematic inaccuracies by ensuring high data quality thus guaranteeing real quantification of emissions.

 

Categories according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol

According to the place of origin and the control to which the respective emission sources are subject, they are classified in one of the three emission categories, Scope 1, 2 or 3.

SCOPE 1 records all direct GHG emissions that arise directly in the company or from its own business activities (e.g. for heating its own buildings). SCOPE 2 encompasses all indirect GHG emissions that arise in connection with the provision of wired energy (electricity and heat) by the energy suppliers. SCOPE 3 records all other indirect GHG emissions that arise from upstream and downstream company activities / process stages, therefore beeing not under the direct control of the company.

SCOPE 3 CATEGORIES

Category 1: Purchased goods and services

In this category we currently record the office furniture purchased for our office location in Hamburg, the paper consumption and the communication technology used in daily work: mobile phones, telephones, laptops / tablets and computer screens.
In addition, since this year we have been recording all purchased consumables that are used by our logistics partners when products are refilled / repackaged (pallets, big bags, plastic packaging, etc.).

Further technical purchases (printer, projector, etc.) as well as additional consumables (coffee beans, hygiene articles, cleaning agents, etc.) are checked annually- in case of significant quantities that justify a recording after a cost-benefit analysis, they will be included into the balance sheet,

The biggest challenge will be to gradually integrate all of the products we sell in this category and ultimately to ensure that all product related GHG emissions are recorded without gaps, from raw material extraction to the factory gate of our customers.

Category 2: Capital goods

2 Not applicable. MATSEN CHEMIE AG does not have its own buildings, production facilities or vehicles. Consumer goods such as mobile phones, laptops, computer screens or office furniture, which could be listed under this category, are already included in category 1.

Category 3: Fuel and energy related emissions

In this category, all indirect GHG emissions from the fuels recorded in Scope 1 and Scope 2 are taken into account. In this context, we consider the "grey energy", i.e. the amount of energy that is necessary in the upstream chain to be able to use the respective fuel (raw material extraction, production, storage transport) and the GHG emissions that result from this.

Category 4: Transport and distribution (upstream)

As a result of its scope, a detailed description of determining the GHG emissions for category 4 is given on the following page.

Category 5: Waste

We currently do not record any GHG emissions caused by the recycling of waste. The household and recyclable waste generated on our premises mainly results from the catering the employees bring with them.

MATSEN CHEMIE AG works largely paperless, which is why only small amounts of wastepaper are generated. It is therefore not necessary to record these small quantities (effort / benefit analysis).

In the future, we want to record the waste generated on our behalf by our logistics partners in this category (disposal of pallets, plastic materials such as big bags, cardboard boxes, etc.) This should take place gradually from 2019.

Category 6: Business trips

In this category, in addition to emissions from hotel accommodation, we also record the relevant means of transport: airplanes, trains and cars (rental cars and the use of private cars for business travel purposes). Taxi rides are currently not taken into consideration. (Effort / benefit analysis).

Category 7: Commuting workers

In this category, we record the daily distance travelled between home and work for all employees working at the Hamburg location. For this purpose, we survey employees each year on the distance between their place of residence and the workplace, as well as the means of transport used for this journey. The calculation is then done on the basis of annual working days less annual leave and any other absences (business trips, illness, remote working)

Category 8: Rented or leased property, plant and equipment

Not applicable. MATSEN CHEMIE AG currently has no rented or leased property, plant or equipment.

Category 9: Transport and distribution (downstream)

Not applicable. Downstream shipments are defined as shipments that have been ordered and paid for by the buyer of the goods. Shipment of the products we sell is an elementary part of our sales strategy, so it is only in exceptional cases that goods are picked up at our warehouse locations by customers themselves.

Category 10: Processing of the products sold

Not applicable. With regard to the further processing of the products we deliver to our customers, we have no comprehensive and valid data. In addition, the possible uses of our products are so diverse that a uniform theoretical basis for calculation is not possible.

Category 11: Use of the goods sold

Not applicable (see point 10).

Category 12: Dealing with products sold at the end of their life cycle

Not applicable.

Category 13: Rented or leased tangible assets

Not applicable.

Category 14: Franchise

Not applicable.

Category 15: Investments

Not applicable.

You can find our entire 2019 carbon footprint with all associated sources and emission factors here>.