At ZABAG our top priority, alongside quality, is environmental and climate protection and this is integrated into our business management. We regularly analyze and monitor our internal processes so that potential energy savings can be identified and appropriate action can be taken.
Our internal rules for environmental and climate protection are codified for our employees. This has already led to the achievement of a number of environmentally friendly standards. Our goal is always to avoid or continually reduce stresses on our environment and climate.
Climate change represents the greatest challenge facing mankind since the end of the ice age and is the defining task of our time. Success in reducing emissions depends to a large extent on voluntary and consistent action by industry in the industrialized countries.
Thus, we at ZABAG are also prepared to take responsibility for the world we leave to our children and grandchildren.
For this reason, we have had the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our company's activities recorded and offset by purchasing a total of 851 climate protection certificates for the year 2020. We are using these certificates to support a reforestation project in Uruguay.
This makes our company one of the first in our industry to voluntarily offset its emissions under the "Clean Development Mechanism."
We are aware of our special responsibility as a company towards future generations and have acted accordingly. Fokus Zukunft GmbH & Co. KG has determined the climate impact of our company for us: Our carbon footprint is 851 CO2 equivalent pollutants per year. To put this into perspective: On average, a person in Germany causes about 11.6 tons of CO2 per year through his or her lifestyle.
Greenhouse gases are distributed evenly throughout the atmosphere. It therefore makes sense to avoid emissions where the costs are lowest. In addition, projects in emerging and developing countries help to improve the economic, social and ecological situation and support the realization of the United Nations' sustainability goals.
For newly industrializing and developing countries, emissions trading is a key driver for the transfer of clean technologies and sustainable economic development.
This greenhouse gas balance sheet provides a transparent overview of our company's greenhouse gas emissions. The report thus forms an important building block in our climate protection commitment. On the basis of the values determined and through the purchase of a corresponding quantity of climate certificates, our company was made climate neutral. We received the "climate-neutral company" award for offsetting our greenhouse gases.
