Greif has published two climate goals:
- Reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 28 percent by 2030 (from 2019 levels)
- Reduce our energy use by ten percent for every unit of production (from 2019 levels)
Watching the news will tell you that climate change is a pressing global issue. Recent headlines highlighted that the world experienced its warmest March on record, according to Europe’s climate monitoring agency. Nearly half of our international customers have ambitious decarbonization goals, so we need a resilient climate strategy.
A closer look at our climate goals: scopes explained
What exactly do we mean when we talk about scope 1 and 2 emissions? Emissions refers to the carbon dioxide and other elements that are “emitted” into the air from human activity and contribute to our greenhouse gas impact. In the business world, we break these emissions down into three parts:
Scope 1 Emissions:
Emissions directly generated by Greif and from sources that Greif owns or controls, such as exhaust from our trucks or combustion from our equipment and boilers.
Scope 2 Emissions:
These are the emissions caused indirectly by Greif activities, but someone else directly emits them. For example, we purchase electricity that utility companies generate.
Scope 3 Emissions:
These emissions are a result of activities associated with Greif’s operations but occur from sources not owned or directly controlled by Greif. These cover the broader impact of Greif’s value chain, including those from suppliers, customers, and using products throughout their lifecycle.
Taking action: Greif’s climate highlights
Greif is working on hundreds of energy efficiency and emissions-saving projects, and we have many more projects planned.
In 2023:
- We implemented 74 energy efficiency projects, which yielded estimated savings of nearly 63 million kilowatt-hours (kWh).
- We identified 15 initial projects to decrease emissions at our paper mill operations, an area that accounts for around 70 percent of our global Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
- We received approval from the ELT to retrofit all facilities globally with energy-saving LED lights. We aim to retrofit all facilities to at least 80 percent LED by the end of 2025, with most achieving 100 percent LED.
- Over 15 percent of Greif’s total energy consumption was from renewable energy sources such as biomass and solar energy.
Our climate strategy is paying off.
