The European Directive 2009/28/EC which is in harmony with the national legislation of the Law 4062/2012 Official Gazette 70 A’/30.3.2012 and the M.D. 175700/2016 Official Gazette 1212/Β/26.4.2016, regarding the promotion of energy usage by renewable sources, known as RED, imposes the certification of biofuels and bioliquids sustainability that are produced / imported to the E.U. Based on the Legislation, biofuels/ bioliquids used in the E.U. must comply with the sustainability criteria in order to receive a national support or being counted to the mandatory national goals for the usage of renewable sources’ energy. The criteria impose limitations for the production of raw materials that are destined for the production of biofuels and bioliquids and that must not have been produced specifically from soils of:
- High value biodiversity, such as primary forests, protected areas, protection areas of rare endangered or under extinction ecosystems or species, etc.
- Highly reserves of carbon, such as wetlands, continuously forested areas.
- Areas that have been described as raised bogs.
Moreover, the estimated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that is succeeded with the usage of biofuels and bioliquids, should be at least 35% against the usage of fossil fuels and since the 1st of January of 2018 it will increase to 50%. The certification must apply based on the official systems of the European Union. The European Committee has identified 14 Certification Systems of biofuels and bioliquids sustainability since the 19th of July of 2011 that apply for all 27 member states. Besides the production of biofuels / bioliquids and their supply chain, based on the M.D. 175700/2016, the beholders of certification will also be the owners of a distillation certification of the L. 3054/2002 and the oil trade companies.
With the term “Carbon Footprint” we mean the evaluation of the impact that our actions have on the environment and more specifically on the climate change. It is correlated directly with the amount of “greenhouse gas” that is produced on our daily life, such as the usage of fossil fuels for the production of electricity, heat and transportation. Carbon footprint is the measurement of all greenhouse gases that we produce individually or collectively (activity, company, country) and has as a measurement unit the tn (or kg) which is equal to the carbon dioxide, CO2eq.
One product, a service or an organization can be described as neutral (carbon neutral) by reducing as much as possible its emissions of carbon dioxide and offsetting the rest, so that the final result will eliminate the footprint.
It is obvious that even if the appropriate practices on behalf of a company apply, the CO2 emissions cannot be eliminated.
Therefore, if we are interested in becoming “carbon neutral”, provided that we have reduced our footprint, we must offset the remaining.
This means that we must financially contribute in investments of developed countries, for projects such as wind parks, solar panels, projects for the utilization of solar energy or biomass etc.
Therefore, the CO2 emission, the footprint after the improvements, is offset with the reduction of emissions in another country and thus our activity or product becomes carbon neutral.
A complete Carbon Neutral project includes:
- CO2 – Carbon assessment with measurements, sensors or computer aided with the usage of the appropriate bibliographical contributors and software
- CO2 – Carbon reducing with initiatives included within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility with the personnel training and implication of new policies
- CO2 – Carbon offsetting, i.e. “elimination” of carbon footprint that remained after the reduction.
Cooperate with us in order to boost your organization’s fame, to contribute to the protection of the environment and to save cost & resources in specific programs that include:
- The carbon assessment by specialized personnel.
- The cost calculation of partial or full pollutant offset.
- The making of an agreement for an offset program for carbon neutral products in cooperation with the certified body, Carbon Footprint LTD.
Water Footprint expresses the amount of water consumed directly or indirectly (by the supply chain) for products and services production. The measurement of Water Footprint is a basic condition for the complete water management, aiming to its consumption reduction.
The improvident usage of water resources has led to the degradation of water ecosystems, the reduction of water reserves and the lack of available water for many usages (human consumption, agriculture, industrial usage etc.). The raise of the cost as well as the degradation of the water quality is a significant problem that consumers are called to address, as well as the local authorities and businesses. The analysis of the Water Footprint of a Product/service/business is a necessary first step in order to identify the more water-thirsty processes, not only within the framework of a business but also for its supply chain. This allows a more rational water usage, which aims and combines the improvement of the environment, the cost reduction and the improvement of business’s image, especially on a local but also on an international level.
- Reduction of water consumption and cost.
- Raise of efficiency (eco- efficiency).
- Establishment of organization as innovative.
- Guarantee of a competitive advantage.
- Social Responsibility Strategy at the Sustainability Report.