Companies cut CO2

Back to overview

In February 2008, Hewlett-Packard announced that it would switch to lighter packaging for its printer cartridges. This will reduce carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to removing 3,500 cars from the road for a year.

The US mega-retailer Wal-Mart has trimmed its packaging for everything from rotisserie-chicken boxes to water bottles, and now uses five grams less plastic for every product. The company plans to cut packaging by 5%, enough to prevent 667,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

In 2004, the parcel delivery company UPS announced that its drivers would avoid making left turns, to minimise the time spent waiting to turn against oncoming traffic, which burns fuel and costs millions every year. A software program customises a route for every driver.

The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has made a commitment to reduce its CO2 emissions to 10% below its 2004 levels by the year 2014. The reductions will be achieved through a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects carried out at Novo Nordisk operations globally.

The cement industry today accounts for 5% of global CO2 emissions. A new recipe for cement, which replaces limestone and clay with magnesium silicate, has the potential to transform it into an industry that helps to store CO2.

Coal plants lose as much as half the heat generated when they burn coal. Cogeneration allows excess heat to be captured and reused for domestic and industrial heating. ExxonMobil part-owns 85 cogeneration plants, and estimates that the technology helps prevent the emission of nine million tons of CO2 a year.

Organic farming consumes 37% less energy than conventional farming. In one year, 4,000 square metres of organic crop soil will store more than 3,000 kilos of CO2 from the atmosphere more than half the average vehicle's total emissions for a year.

It takes 60% less energy to produce recycled paper than it does to produce virgin paper. Each ton of purchased recycled paper saves 4,000 kW-h of energy, 26,500 litres of water and 17 trees.

Since 2002, Tetra Pak has reduced the amount of energy needed per package by 15%. As it continues to grow, Tetra Pak will reduce its CO2 emissions by 10% over the next five years, through improved energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy.

Nokia is initiating a new series of energy savings, including halving the stand-by energy used by its mobile phone chargers, using green electricity to power 50% of its facilities by 2010 and reducing the overall energy needs of its sites by 6% by 2012.

19

General Motors, one of the worlds largest car manufacturer, plans to cut its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2010, based on 2000 levels, by methods including increasing energy efficiency and using renewable resources. The reduction of 4.5 million tons of CO2 is equal to the annual emissions from the power used by 432,692 US households.

The worlds largest confectionery company, Cadbury, plans to cut 50% of CO2 emissions from its manufacturing sites by 2020, by using CO2 offsetting, cutting down on its use of energy, packaging and water, and switching to alternative sources.

In an eco-friendly move, the Coca-Cola Company has reduced the weight of its contour bottles by 20% on selected drinks. The change will reduce the weight of the glass bottles from 263g to 210g, cut raw glass usage by 3,500 tonnes and bring down CO2 emissions by 2,200 tonnes annually.

The Volvo Europa Truck assembly plant in Ghent, Belgium plans to reduce CO2 emissions to zero. Three wind turbines will provide 50% of the factorys electricity, the remainder coming from green energy sources and a CO2-neutral heating system that operates on granules.

The Danish hotel group, Brochner Hotels, has set itself the goal of becoming the worlds first CO2 -neutral hotel chain, and has invited other hotels to join it in the fight against global warming. To be fully CO2-neutral, hotels are obliged to purchase CO2 credits for all CO2 emissions.

By 2020, the Vodafone Group will reduce its CO2 emissions by 50% by improving energy efficiency in its networks and using renewable energy wherever possible. Vodafone will also develop products and services that will help customers limit their own emissions.