'For us, the step towards climate neutrality is the logical consequence of our active corporate policy for the environment and sustainability, which we have pursued for over a decade,' emphasizes Bert Kantelberg, CEO of PAPSTAR GmbH. In close cooperation with ClimatePartner and the resulting support for the climate protection project "Afforestation Guanaré / Uruguay", which is certified according to international standards, PAPSTAR has now been able to offset unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions for its first cardboard product ranges.

Using the same principle, proof of climate neutrality for the company's location in Kall, North Rhine-Westphalia, was achieved last year. The first climate-neutral products in the extensive product portfolio can all be assigned to the typical material group 'cardboard' - the nucleus of today's company was the cardboard factory founded by Oswald Matheis almost 150 years ago: paper plates from the 'pure' range made from FSC^®-certified (Forest Stewardship Council ) Fresh fiber cardboard as well as paper plates and cups from the new 'Plastic free Party' series (without any plastic coating) including tissue napkins and tablecloths that match the motif and design and paper tablecloths (on a roll or folded).

Approach based on transparency

'Together with ClimatePartner, we have calculated the CO2 emissions of these two product lines that arise during the manufacture of the products using raw materials, during production and packaging, in terms of logistics and ultimately also during disposal', says Anne Köhn from Sustainability Management: 'A product carbon footprint determined in this way always relates to the entire life cycle of a product.' There are international standards for creating a carbon footprint; the most widely used is the 'Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard' of the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

ClimatePartner's detailed approach is one hundred percent in line with PAPSTAR's communication strategy, which is geared towards transparency, as all unavoidable and ultimately compensated emissions can be traced back and tracked using the generally accessible "ClimateID Tracking".

4,928,587 kilograms of CO₂ offset

In the case of PAPSTAR, it is exactly 4,928,587 kilograms of CO₂ (location 2020: 3,985,100 kg, cardboard products 2021: 889,356 kg, 'plastic free party' products 2021: 54,131 kg), which are offset by appropriate reforestation measures in Uruguay. In addition, essential 'Sustainable Development Goals' of the United Nations in South America can be supported within the scope of this project, in particular the creation of decent work and the promotion of qualified education.

'Avoid - reduce - compensate' - a concise short formula can generally be defined for a climate-neutral approach. 'The first option should always be to avoid or at least reduce the emission of greenhouse gases as much as possible,' says Anne Köhn, who documents all the measures to this end year after year with the help of a sustainability or progress report: 'Is the avoidance or reduction carbon dioxide emissions are not possible, offsetting is used as a central instrument. Then we work with ClimatePartner.'

In addition to 'ClimateID Tracking' (climatepartner.com, 14403-2002-1001), customers can also track climate neutrality via the respective product label with the independent label 'climate neutral'. Detailed information on the selected climate protection project can also be accessed via a link or QR code.