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Paving the way to climate neutrality

Climate protection and energy transition

Germany aims to achieve a 65 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 on the way to net zero by 2045. This means that private-sector companies must come up with innovative solutions to ensure that the products and services of the future are compatible with a carbon-neutral economy. With the goal of assisting companies in this challenging environment, the Germany Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has developed various funding programs to increase energy and resource efficiency and help decarbonize the private sector.

Corporate climate strategies

Drivers and opportunities

The development of a corporate climate strategy poses numerous complex questions. At ÖKOTEC, we are ready to help you answer such questions.

  • How will climate change affect my business?
  • What regulatory requirements need to be considered?
  • What is the carbon footprint of my products?
  • What specific measures should be taken to make my manufacturing activities more sustainable? And what investments need to be made?
  • What should I bear in mind at the organizational level when adopting a climate strategy? What internal and external communication measures should be undertaken?
Armin Kühn – Team Energieeffizienz

Senior Consultant

Armin Kühn

At ÖKOTEC, I work closely with clients to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for decarbonizing business processes.”

Our consulting process

Our approach for a climate protection strategy

Step 1: Status quo assessment

As a first step, we run one or more workshops with your team to clarify your objectives, determine the scope of your project, and illuminate associated opportunities and risks. After carefully reviewing your documentation, we work with you to specify project activities and milestones. This project step also involves defining project participants and associated lines of communication.

Step 2: GHG emissions inventory

Working closely with your team, we prepare an inventory of your greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol or ISO 14064 standard. Once the GHG accounting method and boundaries are clear (e.g. cradle-to-gate, scopes 1–3), we then collect primary and secondary data, conducting additional research as needed. This may include gathering data from your suppliers. The end product is a comprehensive corporate carbon footprint calculation that visualizes your emissions and includes a breakdown by scope. As an optional service, we can calculate the emission footprints of your products.

Step 3: Strategy development

In this step, we work with your team to calculate a reduction and/or neutrality target. To this end, we collect and cluster potential measures while quantifying their cost and abatement potential. We then develop a detailed roadmap, illuminating the specific actions necessary to achieve your goal. Our input draws on over twenty years of experience in implementing energy efficiency projects. Optional add-on services include: the estimation of necessary investment costs using a computer-based multifactor scenario; the development of energy savings solutions that are eligible for government funding; and the optimization of your emissions’ management using our proprietary EnEffCo® software.

Step 4: Strategy implementation

At the start of the implementation phase, we conduct one or more planning workshops together with your team. These workshops serve to elaborate specific work packages, timelines, and milestones. This planning takes into account existing management processes and other relevant systems and standards (such as ISO 50001).

Step 5: Reporting and communication

Do you require official verification of your GHG inventory and/or emissions abatement targets? We can assist you with the third-party certification process, including the selection of the best methodological approach. Depending on your specific needs, we can also help you with internal and external communication, prepare verification documents for your customers, draft articles for your PR activities, and provide reporting based on recognized standards such as the German Sustainability Code (DNK).

Success story

Sustainability and climate protection strategy at the CAFEA Group

One of Europe’s largest providers of instant coffee, the CAFEA Group aims to achieve a significant reduction in its carbon footprint by 2030. To achieve this, a sustainability and climate protection strategy has been implemented. Click below to read more about the challenges faced by the CAFEA Group. The article also discusses the solutions ÖKOTEC is developing in collaboration with sustainable natives.

The benefits of working with us

Broad expertise

ÖKOTEC is home to a large team of experts with extensive experience in technical as well as organizational topics. We provide you with tools and methods for emission reduction and avoidance that are tailored to your specific needs. We are ready to support you in a variety of ways, from hosting strategy workshops and the development of a company carbon footprint to the calculation of real-time product carbon footprints (CPFs). We also show you how to take advantage of government subsidies. Join the ranks of the many companies who have achieved their energy-efficiency and emission-reduction targets with our expert assistance.

CO2 quick check

Our quick-check service provides you with a top-level assessment of potentials for cutting emissions.

  • Analysis of your energy procurement, on-site generation, and major sources of consumption, among other factors
  • The service involves a one-day site visit by an ÖKOTEC consultant
  • Outcome: a prioritized list of suggested measures
  • Discussion of findings by telephone

Carbon-neutrality solutions

We develop CO2-neutrality solutions by optimizing existing manufacturing plants and by planning of new facilities.

  • Analysis of your current emissions, including development of an emission’s reduction goal
  • Simulation of potential measures and an assessment of their economic effects
  • Identification of an optimal solution for your energy needs, including recommendations for next steps

Forecasts and scenarios

We help evaluate potential measures by considering all the relevant economic and technical factors.

  • Development of comprehensive energy provisioning and management strategy focused on potential sources of on-site generation and the integration of renewables
  • Evaluation of different scenarios
from energy management to climate management

Guide

Taking steps towards climate neutrality (German)

In cooperation with GUTcert and the German Business Initiative for Energy Efficiency (DENEFF), ÖKOTEC is publishing a guide to support companies with management systems on their way to climate neutrality.

Senior Consultant

Susanne Schmidt Almeida

Climate protection impacts all areas of a company – and is also a company-wide undertaking.”

Susanne Schmidt Almeida Team Marketing und Business Development

Guide

Product Carbon Footprints and Product Carbon Costs (German)

Together with Fraunhofer ISI and DENEFF, ÖKOTEC has developed a guide for recording, monitoring and benchmarking product carbon footprints and product carbon costs. The basis for this is our methodology for Energy performance indicators and EnPI-Connect.

Guide: Product carbon footprints and product carbon costs
Leitfaden Steuerung von Carbon Costs in Controlling- und RKostenrechnungssystemen

Guide

Product carbon costs in cost accounting systems (German)

While technical climate protection and energy managers consider CO2 emissions along the production processes, business controllers think in terms of cost centers. This guide provides suggestions on how both worlds can be synchronized with each other.

Climate protection and energy transition news

Jährliche Anwenderkonferenz unserer Software für Energieeffizienz-Controlling EnEffCo®

Focus on energy efficiency and CO2 savings

For the ninth time, around 60 people from industrial and commercial companies, experts from ÖKOTEC and partner companies met at the annual user conference for our Energy efficiency monitoring software, EnEffCo®. In addition to an overview of developments relating to EnEffCo®, user companies shared successful projects from the field, including smart dashboards, flexibility and Peak Load Management and the optimization of the operational management of a CHP plant.

Klimaneutrale Prozesswärme

Research partners for carbon-neutral process heat

Are you currently planning actions to decarbonize process heat generation or would you like to be a pioneer in carbon-neutral heat supply? A funded project aims to accelerate the use of energy-efficient, carbon-neutral process heat solutions.

Would you like to implement a climate protection project?
Then let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.

Steffen Held Team Sales & Project Management

Steffen Held

Senior Account & Project Manager

Mareike Hoffmann Team Marketing and Business Development

Mareike Hoffmann

Head of Climate Management & Communications