Carbon footprint within the reach of large and small companies

• Presentation Ceremony of the Good Practices Guide to CO2 Management at the Company
  

Good Practices Guide to CO2 Management at the Company,  edited and produced by ENDESA in cooperation with the Excellence in Sustainability Club, has been presented today at the Madrid headquarters office attended by José Bogas, CEO of Endesa; Valvanera Ulargui, Director, Spanish Climate Change Office, and Ramón Paredes, President of the Excellence in Sustainability Club.

José Bogas highlighted in his statement that, “at Endesa we are firmly convinced of the need and possibility of achieving a smooth transition toward decarbonisation, guaranteeing the safety of supply and avoiding new inefficient investments in fossil fuels, and for that reason, full decarbonisation of our energy mix in 2050, the impetus of renewables and electrification of demand are the leading characters in our 2018-2020 Strategic Plan”.

Ramon Paredes, President of the Excellence in Sustainability Club, stated that “Spain, as part of the EU and as a signatory country of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Accord, has the obligation to achieve a neutral economy in carbon in the second half of the century, and therefore, apply different standards that are agreed upon both at the international as well as the European level to attain it, in this respect, legislation public policies, and company initiatives must go hand in hand to reach the established goal”.

On the other hand, Valvanera Ulargui, Director, Spanish Climate Change Office, has been in charge of launching the conference highlighting the government's commitment regarding the carbon footprint.

José Casas, General Manager of Institutional Relations and Regulation has been in charge of presenting the guide that currently covers the matter of climate change and which intends to serve as an inspiration for companies that operate in our country in order to make their commitment to reduction of greenhouse gas effect emissions associated with their activity a reality.

While it is true that the majority of the companies already consider action plans and strategies against climate change based on the gradual reduction of the use of fossil fuels, the commitment to more sustainable energy, promoting sustainable mobility, among others, the calculation of the carbon footprint represents a powerful tool through which [one may] have a comprehensive understanding of a company's GHG emissions, and thus be able to correctly manage them. In the case of Endesa, the company started the analysis of its 2009 carbon footprint.

The objective of the guide is to accurately give the keys so that large and small companies learn to effectively manage their carbon footprint, both in its measurement and management, since in the long run it will help them to manage a company's risks and opportunities in regard to GHG for which it is responsible in a comprehensive and integrated manner, since it covers emissions associated with the business’ entire value chain, enabling incorporating the “carbon component” in decision-making.

In the publication, the different steps to follow for the correct measurement of the carbon footprint are detailed, based on the section of methodology, definition of the scope of the carbon footprint, compilation of direct and indirect data with their later calculation process that serve to prepare the final report with its certification and action plan with its reduction goals and planned measures. Finally the strategies shall be established that enable mitigating and/or compensating for the emissions generated by the organisation.

Other carbon footprint reduction measures that apply in the organisation and that may involve changes in the habits of personnel, reorganisation of space or adapting to new technologies or efficiency measures are also thoroughly analysed in the guide.

Good Business Practices

Different examples of important business initiatives may be found in the publication, such as forest restoration and ecology of degraded land in the Iberian peninsula territory through direct seeding techniques and planting of indigenous forest species, called ENDESA FOREST. LA ATALAYA entails a pioneering experience in the energy section, while having been the first Spanish energy company in obtaining the registration of its own project of forest restoration in the drain subsection of the carbon footprint Registry, compensation and absorption projects of the Spanish Climate Change Office (OECC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing, as José Casas, General Director of Endesa's Institutional Relations and Regulation.

Ramón Paredes, who is also Executive Vice President of Government and Institutional Relations of SEAT, presented the project SEAT al Sol [Seat in the Sun], the largest photovoltaic plant of the automobile world. With this plant, 17 million kWh per year are generated, or the energy equivalent to what we use to produce up to almost 20% of the total production of SEAT León per year. SEAT al Sol includes six different facilities with a total installed power of 10.6 MW. These facilities include 53,000 panels that occupy a surface area of approximately 40 football fields.

Finally, Ángel Galán, General Manager of Legal Advice and Institutional Relations of Cemex in Spain, disclosed the Cemex Strategy at the worldwide level to mitigate Climate Change focused on reduction of emissions of some 25% in 2020 and in the development of more sustainable construction products and solutions, which result in reductions of CO2 emissions and improvements in energy efficiency.

AENA; ACCIONA; BALEARIA; Bodegas Torres; Consum; Grupo FCC through its companies Aqualia and FCC Construcción; OCEANOGRÁFICA; Renault, SEAT and Vodafone España are other good business practices that may be found in the publication.

The Report can be downloaded in the publication section of the Excellence in Sustainability Club web page: http://www.clubsostenibilidad.org/publicaciones/co2empresa/

About Endesa

Endesa is the leading company of the Spanish electrical sector and the second largest operator on the electric market in Portugal. Our main business is the generation, distribution and sale of electricity. We are also an important operator in the natural gas sector and we develop other services related to energy. We have almost 10,000 employees and we provide service to more than 11 million clients.

We are a company that is dedicated to fostering a more sustainable energy culture, and  we have taken on the responsibility of playing an active role in building a smart energy future.

We are working to lead the technological transformation in which our sector is engaged. For that reason, we have a solid industrial position and the strength that belonging to a large multinational group gives us, the Enel Group, which we joined in the first quarter of 2009.

About the Excellence in Sustainability Club

The Excellence in Sustainability Club is a business association made up of a group of nineteen large companies dedicated to sustainable growth from the economic, social and environmental perspective, constituting the benchmark forum in Spain in the disclosure and promotion of responsible practices.

These companies are: ABB en España, Adecco España, AENA, BASF Española, B/S/H Electrodomésticos España, CEMEX España, Correos, Endesa, FCC, Grupo ANTOLIN, Mahou San Miguel, Iberdrola, ISS Facility Services, Orange España, Saint-Gobain Placo, Red Eléctrica de España, Renault España, SEAT and Vodafone España.