“Can carbon dioxide emissions from electricity use be reduced? Yes, they can, if we so choose. For Orion, transferring to 100% renewable electricity was a natural choice.”
– Pekka Tallqvist, Senior EHS Specialist, Orion
A few years ago, we at Orion began to seek ways to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our own production. We carried out a study which revealed that electricity use was the most significant source of our emissions. We also found out that it was relatively easy to reduce the environmental burden caused by electricity.
Since 2019, our purchased electricity has been 100% renewable.
We purchase from producers whose electricity is based on wind power, hydropower or bioenergy. We do not consider peat to be renewable energy.
Why raise the bar?
We are all responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Orion wants to act in line with its values, and purchasing renewable electricity fits the bill. At the same time, we can support the transition from fossil to renewable energy: the more the latter is purchased, the more efforts are put into investing in and generating capacity for it.
How are we raising the bar?
Concrete, ambitious energy efficiency projects will play a key role in reducing Orion's carbon footprint. In the future, we will also use compensation measures where necessary to reduce the carbon footprint that is essential for the continuation of business operations.
Orion purchases certified electricity produced using renewable energy sources. Of course, electricity consumption is not Orion’s only source of carbon dioxide emissions, but certification has enabled us to reduce our emissions from electricity use by 100%. Our goal is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of all our operations by 75% by 2025 and reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
The electricity purchased by Orion used to generate 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. When Orion transferred to green electricity, its emissions from electricity use decreased to zero, and the company’s total emissions decreased by 55%.
