Carbon neutral

myphotobook GmbH is a certified climate-neutral company, since 2009.

First Climate, one of the leading asset management companies in European emissions trading, issues this rating every year. It certifies companies that compensate their climate balance by acquiring emission papers in relation to the greenhouse gas emissions they have caused. The CO2 balance, the "CO2 footprint" of a company, covers the use of energy and paper in production, management and employee travel.

The project saw a change in the fuel used in the furnace of a Brazilian ceramics factory. Rice husks are now used instead of local firewood in order to reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

The main objective of the project is to reduce the use of local wood as a primary energy source. The energy supply of the ceramics factory is to be changed to rice straw, a by-product of rice cultivation. Before the change, the furnaces in the ceramics factory were fired with wood from the surrounding forests. Increasing deforestation and related problems, such as lowering of the ground water level, soil erosion and a reduction in species diversity, are ever-present in the region.

The project will prevent the deforestation of around 3,300 ha of land every year and will contribute significantly to preservation of the forests and their CO2 storage capacity. Unused rice straw also generates considerable methane emissions during the anaerobic decomposition process, and these will now also be avoided. The existing furnaces will continue to be used, as only minor modifications are required to change the fuel. Despite the low levels of engineering effort, the project owners faced financial difficulties that were overcome with the profit made from the emission sales.

At present, deforestation is without doubt one of the main threats to the ecosystem in the project region. This project is exemplary and shows alternatives to the primary energy source of wood in one of the regions most threatened by environmental damage. An innovative methodology is being applied to analyse the contribution of the project to sustainable development. All relevant sustainability parameters, such as preserving biodiversity, protecting natural resources and social and financial indicators, are being measured.