The Ruta del Cacao Highway has received the Carbon Neutral Certification granted by the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certification (ICONTEC).
This certification of carbon neutrality requires a commitment and the establishment of a policy and a management plan for the carbon footprint to achieve the goal of zero emissions. Carbon neutrality certification is a broader concept that involves a mix of implementing actions aimed at reducing emissions and offsetting residuals as much as possible.
“For the certification process, ICONTEC carried out an exhaustive audit. In that exercise, it validated the Concessionaire’s compliance with each of the requirements outlined in the Neutrality Guide for the Verification and Certification of Carbon Neutrality - ICONTEC”
To earn this certification, which is valid for three years, the Ruta del Cacao Highway strictly complied with the requirements of the ICONTEC Neutrality Guide, which establishes the following criteria:
- Calculating Greenhouse Gas emissions under the GHG Protocol methodology for Operation and Maintenance activities – O&M – from January 1 to December 31, 2020. The results obtained by calculating the carbon footprint for Ruta del Cacao SAS were 651.36 T CO2e/year. This amount included direct emissions (scope 1), with 48.52% of the total amount and 315.93 T CO2e, and indirect emissions from non-renewable electricity consumption (scope 2) with 51.48% and 335.43 T CO2e.[1]
- Based on the results of the GHG inventory, a mitigation plan for the Ruta del Cacao Concessionaire’s Carbon Footprint was presented. It establishes the reduction objectives through a series of recommendations and strategies for reducing the emissions that will be implemented. Before all else comes monitoring and reducing the consumption of resources in the project; that entails reducing associated GHG emissions.
- A compensation policy was established for those emissions that can’t be mitigated directly, along with the use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) from national GHG mitigation programs, initiatives, or projects formulated and implemented through certification programs or carbon standards. These programs must be registered on public platforms for reducing and eliminating emissions. As compensation for the Carbon Footprint of the Ruta del Cacao’s operation and maintenance activities in 2020, Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) or carbon credits were acquired from the SKCARBONO project: Reforestation and forestation of lands other than flooded lands.
[1]This includes CO2 as well as other gases emitted that add to the greenhouse effect; the latter are converted to comparable volumes of CO2.
We want to congratulate the entire team that has achieved this certification, contributing to our assets’ sustainability.
“This achievement recognizes our commitment to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. We will continue in our commitment to the environment by estimating the Corporate Carbon Footprint, implementing the Carbon Neutral Management Plan outlined, and offsetting the emissions generated by our project”
