In focus

The first climate-neutral paper is made in Perlen

Perlen Papier will be the first supplier worldwide to offer climate-neutral paper starting January 2021. The CO2 emissions will be offset via a certified afforestation project in Uruguay.

Without effective climate protection measures, global warming is expected to reach 4.1°C to 4.8°C by 2100 – around three times the target set by the signatories of the Paris Agreement. To limit warming to 1.5°C, as agreed in Paris in 2015, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced quickly. By 2020, the climate has already heated up by 1.1°C.

In view of this, Perlen Papier has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 84% since 2013. Thanks to these efforts, the company’s carbon footprint is now 76% lower than the European average. However, Perlen Papier wants to go one step further and be the first producer worldwide to offer completely climate-neutral paper.

Customers benefit from full transparency

From January 2021, Perlen Papier customers will be able to offset the CO2 emitted during the production as well as during the transport of the paper and the raw materials required. The emissions will be calculated and certified by an independent auditor based on CEPI’s “Ten Toes” model. Thanks to Perlen Papier’s small carbon footprint, the additional costs for customers are relatively low.

For the compesation of the emitted CO2, Perlen Papier collaborates with a reforestation project in Uruguay. The project converts around 22,000 hectares of grazed land into healthy forests. Over the lifetime of the project, the afforested areas are expected to store over 7,000,000 metric tons of CO2.

The program is audited by The Rainforest Alliance and complies with the guidelines set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Paper customers who opt to offset the carbon emitted also get transparent insight into how much CO2 they have offset, as well as a certificate. On request, Perlen Papier prints a “climate neutral” label on all ordered documents, which can be used for communication with end customers.