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| Refreshed and republished on February 28th, 2023 |
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| This post was originally published on March 14th, 2022, and has been enhanced and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. |
Becoming a carbon-neutral company is a priority for Luker Chocolate. We have planned an ambitious roadmap for 2030; however, we are proud to say that the process is already showing results.
Find out how far we have come in this ambitious goal for our planet and what we have achieved so far by browsing this menu:
- How can chocolate businesses approach a greensupply chain?
- Measuring the carbon footprint.
- Bringing carbon neutrality to the chocolate industry.
- Race to zero for your chocolate business to be a hero!
Sustainability has always been in Luker’s DNA. That is why, over the years, the programs and projects developed under The Chocolate Dream have strived to build a company that goes beyond sustainability. Essentially going above and beyond the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”.
How can chocolate businesses approach a green supply chain?
According to The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, industries worldwide need to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. For this long-term aim, today’s decarbonization actions are crucial. Thanks to Luker’s collective effort, our results are and have been impressive.
But first: what are we talking about when we talk about decarbonization at Luker? In 2017, the company decided to act on the matter. To start, we began to measure our carbon footprint across emission scopes 1, 2 & 3 to know how to proceed for the better.
Measuring our carbon footprint
- The first scope refers to all the direct emissions that the company generates from sources. These are the emissions from ACPM, refrigerants, fire extinguishers, and lubricants. Here we reduced its CO2 emissions by 43%% since 2017.
- The second scope for Luker relates to the indirect emissions from purchasing the electrical energy used in all our processes.
- The third scope considers all other emissions, including those within the supply chain. Purchased goods and services, business travel, employee commuting, waste disposal, transportation, and distribution are some of the aspects measured here. Our suppliers have become strategic allies in this race.
Bringing carbon neutrality to the cocoa industry
Aligned with the reality of the world and understanding the complexity of modernizing ancestral practices, We have devised several strategies. It’s not only about reducing emissions. A compensation system has also been created based on carbon credits from the sequestration of CO2 on Luker cocoa farms around Colombia.
Still, this is not the only achievement of the company. In 2022 we managed to reduce CO2 by a further 9.95% by implementing good practices to minimise refrigerant consumption, among others.
All our mitigation initiatives and the carbon credits helped us achieve our goal: 100% compensation of CO2 emissions at Scopes 1 and 2 in 2021. We obtained our International Carbon Neutral Certification from the International Carbon Neutral certification from the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification, ICONTEC, in accordance with international regulations.
The road is long. Yet, we continue to work to accomplish each of the established goals. Our achievements motivate us to continue improving and innovating. We know we must do much more.
Race to zero for your chocolate business to be a hero!
As a business, we are also proud to have joined the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. This initiative aims to bridge the gap in global efforts towards reducing carbon emissions. The campaign collaborates with various entities, including businesses, cities, regions, investors, and educational institutions, to commit to achieving a net zero carbon emissions status by no later than 2050. The ultimate goal is to encourage a collective effort towards reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and adopting renewable energy sources to mitigate the harmful impact of climate change on the environment.
If we don’t protect our planet, we can’t protect our crops. Luker Chocolate is a producer that understands its responsibilities through its operations, with its communities of influence, and the whole planet. We will always strive to become ever more sustainable and climate positive.
We all love chocolate. But, as Masanobu Fukuoka said, “food and agriculture are the front and back of the same body”. So, we continue working to keep sweetness sustainable.
A new milestone for a sustainable cocoa value chain
As part of our commitment and effort to decarbonise the chocolate value chain and reach carbon neutrality by 2030, Luker’s newest venture has been the launch of The Sunflower Project.
Operational since December 2022, Luker has installed 396 solar panels across a surface area of 1,200 square metres at our Bogota distribution centre. We aim to reduce 161 tons of our CO2 emissions per year and our energy usage by 275.000 kWh annually, significantly reducing electricity-related operational costs.
Whilst in the long term, we hope to install more solar panels in our factory, this has been a fantastic first step towards using alternative and clean energy to produce chocolate products.
Find out more about the initiative here.
