A Long-Standing Partnership for Preventing Climate Change: Interview with Swiss Climate

Swiss Climate and ifolor have been working together in a long-standing partnership to extensively improve our CO₂-management. This includes a certification from the Swiss Climate label, a precise calculation of our CO₂ footprint, and the definition and implementation of specific measures to reduce our emissions. We at ifolor have been monitoring our carbon footprint with the support of Swiss Climate for 13 years and proudly received our first Label certification in 2012. This has made ifolor one of the first label holders of Swiss Climate.

In addition, Swiss Climate supports ifolor in developing a roadmap for decarbonisation, our ambitious climate goals as well as in creating a strategy for minimising climate change that goes beyond our own economic value-added chain.

This joint effort highlights ifolor's commitment to preventing climate change and demonstrates how sustainability can be achieved through innovative ideas and by working together long-term.

We took the opportunity to talk to Ann Ziegler, a consultant at Swiss Climate and an expert in the fields of natural, social and economic sciences. In our interview, she gives us fascinating insights into the collaboration between Swiss Climate and ifolor and all the achievements, goals, challenges and the future plans to date.

In your opinion, what was a particularly successful project or initiative that we have achieved collaboratively?

As a result of our collaboration, ifolor has introduced a waste-reduction concept, switched to renewable sources of electricity and has implemented various measures to reduce energy consumption.  

How has ifolor benefitted positively from collaborating with Swiss Climate?

Thanks to the collaboration with Swiss Climate, ifolor was able to achieve its strategic goal of reducing CO₂ emissions by 50% much sooner than projected. We were able to reach our goal by 2016 instead of 2020 due to the effective measures that we implemented. Thanks to our long-standing partnership, the quality of our data has also improved continuously and the various processes have been optimised.

What methods and tools do Swiss Climate use to collect the data for ifolor? 

The data is primarily collected by ifolor. Swiss Climate uses various methods and tools to support ifolor in this process, such as collecting data on commuting patterns via surveys, calculating distances or completing partial data on heating. An important factor is checking the plausibility of raw data and cumulative CO₂ data. Swiss Climate also identifies high emission factors and calculates CO₂ emissions using specialised software.

How does your approach to working with ifolor differ from working with other companies?

Whether working with ifolor or other companies, we always strive for long-term partnerships in project collaborations. Our aim is to focus our attention on our client's needs at all times through regular communication. 

What future projects and goals do you foresee to further advance sustainability & environmental awareness at ifolor?

In the future, we would like to continue to support ifolor's sustainability by conducting a more comprehensive carbon footprint assessment that includes all scope 3 emissions and in particular the products sold. We are aiming to readjust our climate targets towards net zero and are developing a strategy for carbon removal projects and climate governance. In addition, we see potential in sustainability communication to make ifolor's long-standing commitment even more visible.

How does Swiss Climate plan to continue developing and tackle new challenges in environmental awareness and how to stop climate change? 

Swiss Climate strives to be a credible, transparent and reliable business partner. We always stay up to date by checking for any new developments on the market. An open dialog, comprehensive research and a continuous exchange of knowledge enable us to provide our clients with expert advice to successfully master new challenges in the field of environmental protection and how to reduce climate change.

In your opinion, what are the most important benefits that ifolor gets from working with Swiss Climate?

ifolor's credibility is highlighted by its external partnership and certification with the Swiss Climate label, as it requires an external audit. Swiss Climate provides support in analysing market trends, identifying best practices and projecting future developments. Another advantage of working with Swiss Climate is that the company is big enough to easily cover peaks in workload and at the same time can guarantee personal and friendly support.

What do you see as the role of CSR and sustainability in today's business world and how important are these topics?

CSR and sustainability are becoming increasingly important in today's business world. Companies are starting to recognise that they have social and environmental responsibilities as well as economic ones. Commitment to sustainability is becoming crucial to ensure long-term success, strengthen the trust of their stakeholders and also for having a positive impact on society and the environment.

What trends or changes are you seeing in CO₂-management and climate protection? 

There are several important developments and trends in CO₂-management and climate protection. These include the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and CDP being established as best practices, as well as the trend towards comprehensive scope 3 measures being implemented. The focus is shifting more towards specific measures and their actual impact. As a result, suppliers are increasingly being held accountable and put under pressure to make positive changes. There has also been a paradigm shift with regard to the term "climate neutrality”: new requirements for contributing towards reducing climate change, formerly CO₂-offsetting and the establishment of carbon removal projects are becoming more important. Sustainability communication has also become a challenge that should not be underestimated. There are a lot of negative examples in the news, which is why companies sometimes decide not to talk about their efforts - so-called "greenhushing". In addition, regulatory requirements in Switzerland and the EU specify all the elements of a comprehensive CO₂-management, including governance, opportunities and risks, targets, a decarbonisation roadmap and a transition plan.

Is there anything else you would like to share about working with our company and your joint projects?

ifolor is an intrinsically motivated pioneer in this field that embarked on this journey over 10 years ago. We are proud of them and ifolor can be proud of themselves too!