Slow cargo shipping, fuel-efficient company vehicles

How Tchibo takes climate change into account in its everyday business.

The 2010 UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún once again brought the world’s attention to the urgent reality of global warming,the effects of which we have already begun to experience.We must work to counteract this problem, in order to safeguard our vital resources for future generations. Tchibo is aware of its responsibility and takes concrete measures with ambitious goals to protect the climate.

For us, climate change is anything but an abstract phenomenon. The consequences of global warming, which include extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and the absence of rainy seasons, are leading to concrete problems in today’s world. For example, harvests are on the decline for raw materials which are important for us, such as coffee and cotton, and this has a corresponding effect on our buying processes. We are making every effort to put the brakes on this development, which also poses a threat to our business model. In this process we are actively focusing our efforts on the causes of climate change, especially the things which we can directly influence, such as transport, energy use, company vehicles and business travel.

Transport

One seventh of the CO₂ emissions caused by humans can be attributed to traffic; lorries, aeroplanes and ships contribute significantly to climate change. For Tchibo, having some products produced in distant countries is a question of competitiveness. However, Tchibo is using a wide range of methods to protect the environment and keep CO₂ emissions as low as possible.

Energy consumption

Tchibo roasts its coffee, heats and lights its shops and administration buildings and also needs to use electricity and heat in its warehouses. In short, we would not be able to run our business without energy. However, we are taking numerous measures to put a cap on our energy consumption.

Mobility

Tchibo cannot completely do away with business travel, but we are trying to minimise the effects our business-related ground and air travel have on the environment. We are, for example, taking various measures to ensure that our fleet of vehicles emits as little CO₂ as possible.