Net Zero – Commitment to Nature
With our organic products and services, we at the Andermatt Group are committed to sustainable agriculture. By using technologies such as photovoltaics, we are pursuing this goal at all levels in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. After all, the effects of climate change on agriculture (e.g. droughts, heavy rainfall or frost damage) affect us all.
Based on the Science Based Target Initiative, the Andermatt Group has committed to achieving a net zero balance of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. This target applies to all subsidiaries worldwide. But what are we already doing at the Andermatt Group to achieve this goal?
From Photovoltaics to Electric Cars
Over the 35 years of history of the Andermatt Group, our company headquarters has been built in Grossdietwil, Switzerland, with a total area of 7,600 m2. The building envelope is largely made of wood from regional trees, thus binding 980 tonnes of CO2. A large proportion of the roof surfaces and walls are already covered with photovoltaics. In 2024, a further photovoltaic system with 245 kWp will be put into operation. We have also commissioned 15 geothermal probes to heat and cool the new building.
The five electric cars at Andermatt Biocontrol Suisse AG help the field staff to cover 100,000 km a year using electricity instead of petrol. These cars and the other employees' electric vehicles can be charged at the charging stations at the company. Many resources can also be saved by optimising processes. For example, production has increased efficiency in two insect rearings saving 20-30% of raw materials.
The Entire Andermatt Group is Committed
As the Andermatt Group is active worldwide, measures to reduce greenhouse gases are implemented everywhere. Together, we want to achieve the net zero target by 2040 at the latest.
Our sister company Andermatt PHP in South Africa is the producer of our fungi-based products such as T-Gro. They recently installed a photovoltaic system. This has enabled them to reduce their use of coal-based electricity by 10 % despite an increase in production volume of over 70 %. At Andermatt Canada, raw materials and consumables are now sourced locally in bulk orders, saving 2,265 km of transport per delivery. They have also reduced insect farm waste by 10 %.
Our German sister company Biofa, producer of Vitisan and Curatio, is planning a new 350 kWp photovoltaic system similar to the Swiss site. This will be supplemented with four e-charging stations and an e-car in the company's own vehicle fleet.
Is that Enough? We are Convinced: No!
As part of the Andermatt Group, we, Andermatt Biocontrol Suisse, have also set ourselves the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 at the latest. Initial measures have already been adopted within the Group in order to successfully achieve this goal: Employee resources have been created to give the project the necessary focus and implementation power. The Net zero project is being implemented across the entire Andermatt Group, as we can reach our goal faster together than alone.
We are currently calculating the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire Group for 2023 based on the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which includes the emissions of all upstream and downstream supply chains. The balance sheet serves as a basis for us to pursue a specific reduction path and plan measures that will effectively lead us to our goal.
In this way, we also want to do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the sake of people, animals and the environment. So that healthy food from a healthy environment can continue to be produced for everyone in the future.