Carbon Footprint at Casas de Hualdo

When companies talk about sustainability, they often refer to a series of generalities that in most cases are nothing more than declarations of good intentions with very few concrete measures. At Casas de Hualdo we wanted to convert our commitment into action in order to measure the actual impact of our decisions. To do this, a few years ago we measured our carbon footprint based on the international GHG protocol, a corporate accounting and reporting standard for the organization’s Greenhouse Gases (GHG). The gases studied were: CO₂ (carbon dioxide), CH₄ (methane) and N₂ O (nitrous oxide), as they are considered the most important due to their impact on the environment (included in the Kyoto protocol along with three other families of gases: HFC, PFC and S₆)

To establish the basis for the calculation, the standard approximation of the protocol is used to calculate GHG emissions by applying documented emission factors. These factors relate GHG emissions to a measure of activity at an emission source. It is essential to define the scope of what you want to measure, that is, to specifically delimit the aspects of the organization that will be part of the calculation. In our case, due to their relevance to our activity, we define the following:

• Scope 1: direct emissions associated with the application of mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers and associated with Casas de Hualdo vehicles.
• Scope 2: indirect emissions from the use of electrical energy for the oil mill, offices and irrigation of the olive grove.
• Scope 3: indirect emissions associated with commercial representation trips by plane and train and transportation of employees to the workplace.

The summary of the calculations carried out is shown in the following table:

After carrying out this calculation, we have taken various actions in order to reduce the emissions associated with our activity. An example of this is the establishment of the first photovoltaic plant on the farm in 2018, with an installed power of 567kWp. This commitment is complemented by a second plant that is in full construction and another one also projected for the second half of this year 2021. With these three plants combined, we will reach a total power of more than 960kWp, with which we will be able to supply ourselves with clean electrical energy produced on our own farm. According to our estimates, with these three facilities we will be able to supply ourselves with more than 800,000kW/year of renewable energy, which would mean a reduction of more than 90T of CO₂ eq, following the same criteria of the calculation carried out then.

On the other hand, we have already started the procedures to establish our own compost plant for alperujo, to produce in it a very good quality organic fertilizer, from the pulp, bones and skins of the olives obtained once the oil has been made. With this project, in addition to avoiding the transport of the alperujo to the Secondary Extraction Factory (with the direct emissions that this entails), we will minimize the use of inorganic fertilizers, since the olive grove will be fertilized with the compost produced. This may mean a reduction of more than 22 T of CO₂ eq.