Starting this year, Rizobacter will certify its carbon footprint to meet specific goals in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and continue contributing to actions to combat climate change. The company thus strengthens its corporate sustainability strategy, aligned with a low-carbon agriculture paradigm.
“We face the challenge of increasing our production efficiency without neglecting our environmental footprint. Under this initiative, we develop a value proposition for agriculture, based mainly on microbiological technologies that help increase crop yields and that contribute sustainability to agrosystems,” says Ricardo Yapur, CEO of Rizobacter.
Obtaining the certification demanded an in-depth analysis of the activities conducted in the plant installed in the industrial park of the city of Pergamino. This entailed identification of the production process critical stages, for which improvement goals were established.
Together with the accredited certification body, DNV GL, Rizobacter was able to document the emissions of all the operations under its control. The project conforms to the ISO 14064 international standard and is allowing to manage risks and stimulate innovation in the work teams, oriented towards the search for answers that contribute to mitigating the incidence of gases that cause the greenhouse effect.
“The company is committed to decarbonize all production processes; to this end, we began with the certification of the carbon footprint, and we launched an action plan that allows us to improve all our environmental indicators. This leads us to incorporate new technologies and review each step, with a systemic view of the process,” adds Gustavo Henrich, Integrated Management System Manager at Rizobacter.
How it is measured
Measurement of the corporate carbon footprint includes the direct and indirect emissions attributable to operations in which Rizobacter exercises operational control.
Direct emissions include those coming from sources that are owned or controlled by the company; for instance, fossil fuel consumption by stationary sources such as boilers or backup generators, and by mobile sources such as the car fleet. They also include fugitive emissions, such as leaks from air conditioning equipment, emissions from using or recharging fire extinguishers, and from on-site wastewater treatment.
Indirect emissions include those generated from Rizobacter's purchased or acquired electricity, which is mainly energy consumption by lighting, refrigeration equipment, cold chambers, and engines, among others.
Measurement of indirect emissions also includes those which occur in sources that are not owned nor controlled by the company, such as waste treatment outside the plant, household or urban assimilable waste, and sewage.
