Plastilene Group obtained carbon neutral certification from ICONTEC

To put us in context

Greenhouse gas emissions are different types of gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, perfluoroalkanes, and sulfur hexafluoride) that are emitted into the atmosphere as a result of human and industrial activities. The combined emissions of all these gases is what we call our carbon footprint and is reported in terms of CO2 equivalent.

We can measure our personal carbon footprint, the footprint of a product or the corporate footprint and the results will allow us to make more responsible and conscious decisions with the planet.

Once the corporate carbon footprint is measured, it must be mitigated and offset. The former consists of identifying opportunities and establishing plans to reduce it, and the latter consists of balancing that impact through environmental initiatives such as the purchase of carbon credits.

Carbon neutral certification encourages organizations to implement actions aimed at reducing GHG emissions and increasing their removals or offsets. In order to obtain it, a policy or plan must be implemented, submitted to the certifying entity, and results must be monitored for three years.

Why did we commit to this?

At Plastilene Group we started measuring our corporate carbon footprint since 2018. The first thing we did was to inventory our 2017 Greenhouse Gases to get an initial idea of our business performance from an environmental point of view.

Subsequently, in 2019 we measured our footprint of the immediately previous year and with the results obtained we decided to offset it through carbon credits from forestry projects in Colombia. 

At the end of 2019, our president Stefano Pacini declared to our stakeholders the commitment to be carbon neutral companies by 2020 and that brought with it great challenges for all of us.

What did we have to do to obtain the certification?

The process began with the 2019 Greenhouse Gas inventory and the measurement of the corporate footprint for all the Group’s companies, both in Colombia and Ecuador and Guatemala of scopes 1 and 2 (direct emissions and energy consumption).

Subsequently, this measurement was submitted for external review by Icontec and, simultaneously, emissions were offset through the purchase of carbon credits in forestry projects. We then designed a corporate carbon neutrality management plan that included emission reduction goals and a compensation policy. We concluded the process with a declaration of neutrality issued by our president.

The verifying entity granted us carbon neutrality certification after verifying all these steps and making a commitment to continue working for the benefit of the environment through GHG emissions management.

We decided to go further

During the measurement process, we found an international methodology (AMSIII.AJ “Recovery and recycling of materials from solid wastes, v 7.0) that allowed us to neutralize Reciclene’s emissions due to its economic activity of plastic material recycling. This is how Plastilene Group company obtained the title of “zero emissions company”.

Subsequently, when it came to offsetting the emissions of the rest of the companies, we decided to offset a higher percentage than required to achieve neutrality and thus become a “climate-positive” company, as defined by the Carbon Neutral Protocol.

What’s next for GP in environmental matters

Sustainability is not a final destination, but a road to travel and it is constantly evolving every day.

In Plastilene Group we are committed to continuous improvement and responsibility, based on the rational use of resources, awareness of human talent, clean production and pollution prevention, through compliance with applicable environmental regulations and actions in favor of the environment.

We will continue to develop initiatives that will enable us to reduce our GHG emissions as much as possible and meet the goals established in our carbon neutrality plan.

Taking into account that more than 85% of the Group’s GHG emissions are associated with the consumption of electrical energy from the grid, the emission reduction goals are focused on both the reduction of electricity consumption and the migration to conventional and non-conventional renewable energies.