Climate

Global warming is one of the most severe problems faced by global society today. At Novozymes we are committed to reducing CO2 emissions and to increasingly being part of the solution.

At Novozymes global warming, CO₂ emissions, and energy use are closely linked, and we take the whole process, from raw material to use of our products, into account. The focus of our climate strategy is twofold:

To exploit the potential of our technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions in our customers’ applications
To reduce energy use related to our own activities

Today

Novozymes’ solutions often create the potential for large energy savings for our customers. In 2010 our enzyme applications helped our customers save a total of 40,000,000 tons of CO₂, equivalent to the emissions of more than 15 million average European cars a year. In other words, the biggest difference that Novozymes can make in reducing global CO₂ emissions is through increased application of our enzyme solutions.

However, having this great potential also requires that we ourselves act responsibly, make commitments, and set ambitious targets for our own emissions. Our expectations for 2011 are:

To enable a 45 million ton reduction in CO₂emissions in 2011 through our customers' application of our products
To improve energy efficiency by 32% in 2011 compared to 2005
To improve CO₂ efficiency by 41% in 2011 compared to 2005.

For many years we have worked hard to optimize our production processes by developing new and ever more efficient production strains. This has improved yields and capacity, thereby also improving energy efficiency compared to product output.

Examples of other climate actions include:

Results of life cycle assessments on environmental factors are used in the dialogue with Novozymes' customers on enzyme technology and product quality
All pipeline discovery and development projects in R&D must pass through a 'mini life cycle assessment' known as a pipeline LCA
Novozymes’ suppliers are asked to provide information on their environmental management.

Tomorrow

Novozymes is committed to reducing CO₂ emissions and to continuously improving our energy efficiency. In line with this, we have set ambitious long-term targets for our environmental performance:

To enable a 75 million ton reduction in CO₂ emissions per year by 2015 through our customers' application of our products
To improve energy efficiency by 50% in 2015 compared to 2005
To improve our CO₂ efficiency by 50% in 2015 compared to 2005
To increase the energy supply from renewable and CO₂-neutral sources to 50% in 2020

Each target involves a number of initiatives. For example, the target for increased use of renewable energy includes an investment in the world’s largest wind farm, Horns Rev II, which in 2012 will cover 100% of our electricity consumption in Denmark.