SCHOGETTEN AND CLIMATE PROTECTION

Most things produced in the modern world have some impact on the climate. In our industry, this is often the energy that is consumed to manufacture products. Some of this energy is generated from fossil fuels, with carbon dioxide (CO₂) being created in the process. This greenhouse gas enters the atmosphere, compounding the greenhouse effect and contributing to global warming and thus to climate change. It is therefore vital to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Initial achievements: energy management and green electricity

The process of making the delicious Schogetten we all love involves energy consumption. Among other things, heat is used to melt the chocolate before it becomes Schogetten, and electricity is used in production. Through the energy management system at our Saarlouis and Saarwellingen factories, we have been working for some time on ways to use less energy. The result is that we generate a good proportion of the remaining energy needed at our German plants either by using an efficient combined heat and power system or by purchasing predominantly green electricity.

As we work toward climate neutrality, we need to reduce or offset CO₂ emissions at all levels. This is very complex because all processes are interconnected and not always within our control—for example, the petrol a cocoa farmer needs for his motorbike to get to his cocoa plants, the diesel for trucks, the fuel for cargo ships, and the energy used for warehouses or transportation to the supermarket’s central warehouse. The difficulty lies in calculating the CO₂ emissions and finding ways to avoid or offset them, but we are working on this task.