Climate-neutral packaging: PLEXIGLAS® Molding Compounds compensates CO₂ emissions from packaging production

• First milestone: 5,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalents compensated at Worms production site
• Compensation through climate-friendly energy generation through mine gas
• PLEXIGLAS® is helping conserve resources

CO₂ emissions are unavoidable during the production of packaging materials. Therefore, the Molding Compounds business unit of Röhm GmbH has now initiated a project that aims to compensate these greenhouse gases by making compensation payments to climate protection projects. “We have a responsibility toward future generations,” explains Siamak Djafarian, Head of the Molding Compounds business unit. “And that’s why we are working on continuously reducing our CO₂ emissions. The packaging of our molding compounds is an important part of this.” As such, Molding Compounds gives customers an incentive to choose the packaging options with the smallest CO₂ footprint through the pricing system. “We are now starting the compensation scheme at one of our largest production sites, in Worms (Germany), and will also spread this principle to the other locations worldwide,” adds Sven Schröbel, the project manager responsible for sustainability in the Molding Compounds business unit.

Gold Standard-certified climate protection project

The material used for the packaging of PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds at the Worms site will generate estimated greenhouse gas emissions of 5,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalents (a standard unit for comparing the impact of different greenhouse gases on the climate). These emissions will now be compensated through a Gold Standard-certified climate protection project by the firstclimate organization, a leading player in mandatory and voluntary emissions trading. In the chosen project, gas from former coal mines is used to generate electricity in a climate-friendly manner.

“The compensation of CO₂ emissions is the next milestone on the way to producing our PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds more sustainably,” comments Djafarian. To achieve this objective, Molding Compounds already buys emission certificates for the production of the molding compounds and is involved in Operation Clean Sweep, which aims to prevent microplastics entering waste water during production. “We are also making sure that our products are environmentally friendly and do not contain any harmful substances,” says Djafarian. For example, PLEXIGLAS® is free from hormone-like substances such as bisphenol A and heavy metals. It contains neither asbestos nor formaldehyde, CFCs, PCBs, PCT or plasticizers.

Saving resources

PLEXIGLAS® itself also contributes to the sparing use of resources: Thanks to its durability, components can be used for a long time and do not need to be replaced as often. Furthermore, PLEXIGLAS® impresses with its excellent recyclability. It can be broken down into its original chemical constituents or directly and completely recycled.