For the second consecutive year, Eurolife FFH was certified as a climate-neutral company following a study carried out on its behalf by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) on company facilities in Athens and Thessaloniki for 2021. Starting in 2020, the company committed to continuing in the coming years to measure and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its operation and repeated the study for a second time this year. The CSE study was verified by First Climate, one of the top European organisations working on carbon emission offsets and water management with more than 20 years of experience and know-how.
The applied methodology was based on measuring carbon dioxide emissions, aimed at taking steps to minimise and offset pollutants resulting from the company’s operation. The measurements include electricity consumption for the needs of the Eurolife FFH buildings, the means of transport used by employees to travel to and from their workplace, corporate transport means and air travel, and the consumption of paper and cardboard.
The collected data indicated that the operation of the company in 2021 generated 618 tons of greenhouse gases, which included both indirect and direct emissions. The measurements were initially verified by CSE, in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Standard and ISO 14064 and were then verified again by First Climate.
Given that it is not possible to prevent all emissions from the operation of a company, Eurolife FFH undertook carbon offsets for this year to minimise its footprint. According to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, carbon offsets are one way to directly fund individual climate protection programs throughout the planet. As climate change is a global issue, emissions resulting from activities in a particular area can be balanced out by reducing or preventing them in another part of the planet. As a Kyoto Protocol mechanism, and in accordance with international standards, the offset process aims at supporting developing countries and helping them to develop in an environmentally friendly way. As part of this endeavour, Eurolife FFH selected as its offset project for this year the Bundled Wind Power project in Tamil Nadu, the southern-most federated state of India. The project has a significant social impact aside from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It aims to produce clean electricity by building and operating wind turbines. By supporting it, the company participates in the UN Global Development Goals for Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3), Clean Water and Sanitation (Goal 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (Goal 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (Goal 9), Climate Action (Goal 13) and Life on Land (Goal 15).
For Eurolife FFH, it is most important to serve as a catalyst towards positive change, both through its insurance plans and through its social actions. That is why it is committed to minimising its environmental footprint while taking part in important initiatives that address climate change.
