Graanul Invest Group has published its 2019 Sustainability Report that includes for the first time carbon footprint calculations. The report states that the balance of the groups’ carbon emissions is not only zero, but strongly negative, functioning as a sink for carbon dioxide equivalents.
The Sustainability Report provides an overview of developments in all the group’s areas of activity, concentrating on the five biggest topics: sustainable forestry, key production indicators, carbon footprint, innovation and social impact.
From a sustainability point of view the group´s biggest achievements in 2019 were reaching a carbon negative footprint, reforestation with a record number of forest plants and the beginning of a new biomaterials business line that enables to take wood valorization into a higher level.
Forestry plays an important role in the group’s carbon footprint, but there are other extremely important factors as well – the efficiency of operations, the use of renewable fuels and energy, the digitization and automation of processes, and thorough due diligence and analysis.
“We have been working towards this for years and are now finally able to add up the numbers based on a recognized methodology,” commented Graanul Invest CEO Raul Kirjanen on the carbon footprint calculations. Kirjanen added that achieving a carbon negative footprint shows that climate neutrality on a larger scale is possible a lot sooner than thought and wood and forestry industries have a key role in it.
Sustainable forest management with a long-term perspective that is managed by skilled specialists will leave strong and healthy forests for future generations, said Kirjanen. For Graanul Invest, sustainable forestry means that there is a place for rare species and habitats, carbon sinks, mushroom pickers, logs, and culture. In addition to actively managed forests more than 6,000 ha of forests in group portfolio overlap with national parks and protected areas, growing along with the portfolio.
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