Koehler Paper joins Baden-Württemberg Climate Alliance

Koehler Paper has a history stretching back over 210 years. With a turnover of around EUR 1 billion, it is one of the few remaining independent German family companies in the paper industry.

This long history is also reflected in the company’s approach to decision-making, which is based on a long-term, sustainable perspective.

As part of its efforts to become climate neutral, Koehler Paper has set itself the objective of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80 percent by 2030, compared to the baseline year 2020.

This corresponds to about 360 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per annum.

Join Baden-Württemberg Climate Alliance

By signing the Paris Agreement, which was initiated by the United Nations in December 2015, the global community paved the way for a forward-looking climate protection strategy.

As one of Europe’s leading economic regions, Baden-Württemberg has a particular responsibility in this regard, with a key role to be played by the world of business.

In order for it to fulfill this role, a climate alliance has been agreed upon between the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment and various companies in the federal state.

The partners have undertaken to provide each other with mutual support so that the climate protection objectives of both policy-makers and businesses can be achieved.

Koehler Paper has now joined this alliance.

At Koehler, the economical and sustainable use of resources has been inextricably linked with the task of securing the future of the company since it was founded over 210 years ago, said Dr Stefan Karrer, Chief Operating Officer at Koehler

The Group has been taking proactive steps in the field of climate protection, implementing measures to improve energy efficiency, and monitoring its own CO₂ emissions as well as the share of renewable electricity and heating in its energy mix.

We have already managed to significantly reduce our CO₂ emissions since 2003 by increasing energy efficiency and thus reducing specific heat and electricity consumption, Dr Karrer said.

Plans for further reductions

In 2020, the Koehler Group began drawing up a group-wide climate strategy, which was adopted in 2021.

By 2025, we aim to have reduced our ‘scope 2’ emissions by 90 percent compared to the baseline year 2020. This includes emissions produced in order to generate the energy required for paper production, said Dr Stefan Karrer as an example of one of the specific objectives of this strategy.

By 2030, Koehler also wants to reduce ‘scope 1’ emissions by 80 percent, and obtain 100 percent of its electricity and heat from renewable sources in pure accounting terms.

Scope 1 emissions include CO₂ emissions released when generating energy from hard coal. In order to achieve these ambitious goals, a comprehensive set of measures has already been initiated.

For example, Koehler Paper is planning to fully convert its power plant at its Oberkirch site to biomass.

Switching to biomass as a primary fuel instead of coal will cut annual CO₂ emissions by more than 150 000 tonnes.

The company is investing around EUR 60 million in this endeavor, and the converted power plant is due to be commissioned in 2024.

Since the start of the year, the new production line 8 in Kehl has been run on 100 percent green electricity from a regional source, namely the Schluchsee hydropower plant.

In addition, steam from the biomass combined heat and power station at Koehler Paper’s Kehl site has been used to dry the paper web with virtually zero CO₂ emissions since production line 8 was started up in 2019.