Bertelsmann Publishes Its Second Carbon Footprint

Around the globe, experts at Bertelsmann's divisions and companies have compiled data on the consumption of energy and resources in the past year. This data forms the basis for the second Group-wide carbon footprint, which Bertelsmann is publishing.

The carbon footprint describes the volume of greenhouse gas emissions caused by business activities in a given period. In addition to carbon dioxide (CO2) other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) were also taken into account and weighted according to their impact on the climate. The carbon footprint is therefore shown in CO2 equivalents (CO2 eq ). In 2010, Bertelsmann AG’s greenhouse gases emissions totaled around 1.3 million tons of CO2 equivalents. The majority of greenhouse gas emissions is caused in the divisions Arvato and Gruner + Jahr, and at Prinovis. The printing presses and other production facilities in these divisions use a lot of electricity, gas and heat, which is reflected in the carbon footprint.

In 2010, approximately 11.5 percent fewer greenhouse gases were emitted compared with the 1.475 million tons of CO2 eq in the previous carbon footprint, published in 2008. This reduction can be attributed to climate protection measures and structural changes in the company. The structural changes since 2008 especially include the step-by-step sale of Direct Group's international operations. Thus, the values ??of 2008 and 2010 are only partially comparable.

For fiscal 2010, in addition to the carbon footprint, other environmental indicators that are relevant to Bertelsmann operations were determined for the first time. In determining this environmental data, Bertelsmann was supported by the independent Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) in Heidelberg. The auditing firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers AG performed an audit to provide limited assurance of the key environmental indicators. In future Bertelsmann will draw up and publish a carbon footprint every two years.

“This second carbon footprint is an important element in our process of learning how resource conservation, which is also increasingly becoming a factor in competition, can be increased,” says Katrin Gaertner, head of the “be green” team and Head of Public Affairs in the Corporate Communications department.