V&S Group offsets carbon emissions by planting trees

V&S is the first company in the wines and spirits industry to introduce carbon offsetting as part of its environmental work. Carbon dioxide emissions from V&S’s production are being offset by investing SEK 3 million a year in certified forest planting in Mozambique and Mexico.

V&S has already managed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from production and transport. Emissions per litre of beverage sold decreased by approximately 30 per cent between 2003 and 2006. The new target is to reduce emissions by a further 25 per cent by 2010.

V&S is now taking a further step in limiting global warming and is integrating carbon offsetting into its environmental strategy.

“V&S is striving to be the most responsible company in the industry. We already have some of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly plants, but we see carbon offsetting as a complement to continued energy rationalization and as a further opportunity for us to help improve our global environment,” says Bengt Baron, CEO of V&S Group.

V&S will offset a large percentage of the carbon dioxide emissions from production by investing in sustainable forestry in Mozambique and Mexico. The small-scale plantations are managed by local farmers and verified by the international organization Plan Vivo. Plan Vivo also certifies the projects, thereby ensuring that a carbon offsetting effect is achieved.

“The fact that we do not yet offset all our production units is because we want to ensure that newly acquired units, for instance, have taken other climate-promoting measures before joining the V&S carbon offsetting scheme,” says Sofia Leffler Moberg of V&S’s corporate environmental staff.

V&S conducts systematic environmental work in which the most pressing environmental measures are prioritized first. This means that the production units initially deal with issues such as energy rationalization in order to reduce climate impact. Once a production unit has taken various energy-saving measures it moves on to the next stage – carbon offsetting. By integrating carbon offsetting into the existing environmental management model, V&S aims to ensure a long-term approach and continuous development in its environmental work.

The following V&S production units have already taken far-reaching energy rationalization measures and can be part of the Group’s carbon offsetting scheme:

• Åhus/Nöbbelöv
• Aalborg, Denmark
• Turku, Finland
• Zielona Gora, Poland
• Buxtehude, Germany