Climate neutrality - all just "fraudulent labeling"?

The labeling of products and companies as "climate neutral" is currently the subject of much debate, not least due to a recent ruling by the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court.

In the judgement of November 10, 2022, it was made clear that the Higher Regional Court generally finds fault with describing oneself as "climate neutral" if significant sources of emissions from a company's CO₂ footprint (corporate carbon footprint) are not taken into account and omitted.

What about smart-TEC and RATHGEBER, which describe themselves as climate-neutral companies with similar products?

The fact that climate protection is a matter close to our hearts is demonstrated by the certification of our environmental management system since 1997 and our long-standing cooperation with the experts from ClimatePartner

Since 2010, ClimatePartner has been compiling an annual Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) for smart-TEC and the entire RATHGEBER Group, which shows the greenhouse gases produced. The primary goal is to continuously reduce emissions and implement measures to achieve this. Emissions that could not be avoided are offset by purchasing official certificates and promoting climate protection projects at a global level.

What is reported to ClimatePartner by smart-TEC and RATHGEBER?

All locations of the RATHGEBER Group transmit the data required to calculate the CCF to ClimatePartner. This also includes product-related data, so that all our products that our customers purchase are climate-neutral - at no extra charge. On request, this is documented by issuing certificates of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) for the goods purchased.

The calculation of our emissions is based on three scopes defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The allocation to the respective emission sources can be found in the graphic in the header (also available for download on the right).

Our specific emissions and their development can be found in our voluntarily compiled sustainability report.

The discussions surrounding the topic of climate neutrality will probably only subside once binding standards are in place that label companies and their products as uniformly "climate neutral" and thus provide consumers with the necessary guidance. We would very much welcome this and look forward to it.