We believe in generations for the preservation of our environment

WE REDUCE OUR CO₂ FOOTPRINT

THE CO₂FOOTPRINT IN CLIMATE PROTECTION

CO₂ is a vital gas. Plants breathe CO₂ and convert it into oxygen. When the amount of CO₂ and oxygen in our atmosphere are in balance, our climate is doing well.

Unfortunately, humans produce CO₂ indirectly or directly with their activities in this world. Energy production, industrial combustion, transport or heating of buildings are the main sources of emissions. This puts too much CO₂ into the atmosphere, creating an imbalance.

The CO₂ in our atmosphere acts like a winter coat. It prevents enough heat generated on Earth from escaping into space. The Earth heats up slowly. Experts call this process "climate warming".

When Kuhn Rikon produces cookware, it uses metals that have been mined and refined somewhere in the world. These materials have to be transported to Switzerland, where they are processed into pans and pots in Rikon. The machines used consume energy. Our salespeople travel to different countries to present and sell our products. Customers drive their vehicles to different shops to find the right product or buy it online and have it sent to their home. The packaging has to be disposed of and ends up as waste in a waste incineration plant or landfill. And last but not least, the pan is put on a hob and heated - day after day, year after year.

All these activities generate additional CO₂ somewhere. Experts refer to the CO₂ emissions caused in connection with the production of a pan as the "carbon footprint".

OUR GOAL: NET ZERO

It is part of our strategy to make this CO₂ footprint of our products as small as possible. We will probably not be able to make it disappear completely.

Through innovative product development, clever material selection and continuous process optimisation, Kuhn Rikon aims to eliminate or at least reduce CO₂ emissions wherever possible. Where no further reduction or elimination is possible, we will offset the amount of CO₂ caused by our business activities.

By the time we celebrate our 100th anniversary, we want to be climate neutral in the sum of all our business activities. This means that Kuhn Rikon's entire CO₂ footprint worldwide could either be reduced, eliminated or offset.

CO₂ reduction

Reducing the carbon footprint by choosing optimised materials and developing innovative products.

Example 1:

Recycled aluminium in our "New Life" products requires 95 % less energy in production.

TO THE NEW LIFE FRYING PAN

Example 2:

Cooking with a Hotpan or a Durotherm uses 60 % less energy. This does not directly reduce the CO₂ footprint caused in production. Instead, we reduce the CO₂ emission every time we use these durable products.

TO THE PRODUCTS

CO₂ elimination

In elimination, the CO₂gas emitted during production is eliminated elsewhere. Various processes are under development or even already in use to actively remove CO₂from the atmosphere in order to reduce the greenhouse effect.

Kuhn Rikon has entered into a partnership with the Eberhard company. Eberhard Unternehmungen recycles concrete from building rubble into so-called circular concrete (also called circular concrete). In doing so, they have developed a process in which CO₂ from the air can be stored in concrete. This CO₂ is thus removed from the atmosphere forever.

This technology, developed in Switzerland, has the potential to extract over 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year in Switzerland alone and store it in concrete.

Kuhn Rikon finances the removal of 21 tonnes of CO₂ per year, which is released into the environment through its business activities. This CO₂ elimination is confirmed by a certificate from the company Eberhard. The financing of this certified reduction can be supported by our customers on a voluntary basis. By making a small contribution, the environmentally conscious customer of Kuhn Rikon can have the amount of CO₂ caused by his purchased product eliminated by our partner, the company Eberhard.

MORE ABOUT IT

TO THE EBERHARD WEBSITE

CO₂ compensation

If neither a reduction nor an elimination of CO₂is possible in one's own sphere of influence, the CO₂ footprint must be reduced or eliminated in another area (another sector or another country). We then speak of CO₂ compensation. Such compensation projects are mediated and also accompanied by reputable organisations from the field of environmental and climate protection.

Kuhn Rikon works with ClimatePartner to determine its CO₂ footprint and to reduce and offset it. We distinguish between a corporate CO2 footprint (CO₂ footprint of the entire company, internationally) and the individual product CO₂ footprint (CO₂ footprint of a specific product in our range).

The successive reduction of the CO₂ footprint at Kuhn Rikon is accompanied by ClimatePartner and the progress achieved is certified. The amount of CO₂ to be offset (the product CO₂ footprint PCF) can be seen in the detailed view of the corresponding product in the Kuhn Rikon webshop.

Kuhn Rikon currently offsets the entire CO₂ footprint of all transports to and from our distribution centres. Together with ClimatePartner, we support a climate protection project in Rwanda.

CLIMATE-NEUTRAL SHIPPING