Climate strategy

“BayWa r.e has always actively contributed to climate protection with its renewable energies business. We are proud to say that, in the reporting year 2018, our business operations are also 100 per cent carbon-neutral for the first time,” says Matthias Taft, CEO of BayWa r.e. and member of the Board of Management of BayWa AG with responsibility for the Energy Segment.

Operations at the German locations of BayWa AG’s Global Produce business unit have been carbon-neutral since 2018. The consumption of electricity, gas and heating oil was systematically reduced, while at the same time investments were made in energy production from renewable sources. Global Produce offsets the remaining emissions by the purchase of high-quality carbon credits.
Christiane Bell, head of the Global Produce business unit at BayWa, has played a seminal role in advancing the cause of carbon neutrality.

BayWa r.e. finished building the “Don Rodrigo” solar park south of Seville in late 2018. The project is not dependent on any government subsidies. More than 500,000 modules that generate over 300 GWh of solar power a year were constructed on a site measuring 265 hectares – the equivalent of around 190 football pitches. Thanks to BayWa r.e., the project marks a milestone in the history of the European energy transition.

BayWa AG participated in the climate rating of the inter- national non-profit organisation CDP for the first time in 2019. Each year, CDP analyses and evaluates the actions takenby numerous companies, towns and cities and countries in the field of climate and environmental protection. An in- creasing number of investors want to invest in companies who have knowledge of, can measure and can manage their risks and opportunities in relation to climate change. Cur- rently, CDP represents 525 investors holding assets of a value of USD96 trillion who demand information from com- panies about their approach to climate change. In 2019, CDP evaluated over 8,400 companies on their strategic approach to the challenges of climate change and their climate manage- ment in accordance with an extensive catalogue of criteria.
In its first year of participation, BayWa achieved a C rating and is therefore average within its industry. This places BayWa among the 30% of companies from the Trading Companies & Distributors and Commercial Services & Supplies category that have achieved what is referred to as Awareness Level. This is a distinction awarded to companies which have knowledge about climate issues and the company-specific effects on the climate. The basis for the evaluation is detailed information about greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and risk management.

Global Produce continues to consistently pursue its target of reducing GHG emissions at its locations and becoming carbon-neutral over the long term. The operations of the German subsidiary BayWa Obst GmbH have been climate neutral since 2018. In addition to Global Produce, the oper- ations of the Dutch holding company Tropical Fruit Company (TFC) have been climate neutral since 2019. Above all, this led to a decrease in GHG emissions due to electricity being obtained from sustainable sources.