Climate Protection
Global warming is already noticeable. This makes it all the more important to work together for climate protection—to ensure a livable future for generations to come. We take our responsibility seriously and are actively working to reduce our own CO₂ footprint, while offering product solutions that help decarbonize the building sector.
Group-wide climate targets: Our guide to decarbonization
To reduce our own CO₂ footprint, we have set a short-term and a medium-term target, which, since 2024, apply to the entire DAW Group—including all subsidiaries and locations. We are committed to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Climate Agreement and have set ourselves the long-term goal of achieving Net Zero.
In the short term, we are focusing on areas where we can have a direct impact on CO₂ emissions and make the greatest contribution: our direct emissions and those arising in the upstream value chain from raw materials, packaging, and trade goods. Our medium-term target includes all Scope 3 categories.
How we are reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions over which we have direct influence (Scope 1 and 2) arise from the combustion of fuels for mobility and heating, as well as during power generation. Our approaches to reduction are diverse: from partial conversion to e-mobility, increased use of renewable electricity, all the way to optimizing manufacturing processes.
As a corporate group, we began sourcing renewable energy early on. In our German plants and administrative offices, the share is already at 100%, and group-wide at around 80%. We will continue along this chosen path in the future.
To reduce our mobility-related emissions, we are beginning a partial conversion of our company fleet to e-mobility in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the share of fully electric vehicles is already above 50%.
As part of our active energy management, we utilize energy generated as waste heat during production processes to heat buildings and water. Our German production sites are ISO 50001 certified, and in Austria we use EMAS certification across all sites. Our medium-term goal is to establish ISO 50001 at all locations.
Driving the decarbonization of our products
The majority of our CO₂ emissions are generated in the upstream supply chain, during the production of raw materials, traded goods, and packaging (Scope 3.1), and are therefore directly linked to our products. We are gradually optimizing the carbon footprint of our products: We use CO₂-reduced raw materials and consider both performance and climate protection in product development. In doing so, we build on existing innovations:
Renewable raw materials in binders
In some of our products, such as Alpina Sensitiv Wohnweiß and Caparol Indeko-plus, we use binders made from 100% renewable raw materials (via a mass balance approach). The biomass balance method allows us to use biomass instead of fossil resources as the raw material for our binders early in the value chain. This biomass is then quantitatively attributed to the interior paint. As a result, we save 62% of the binder-related CO₂ emissions — while maintaining the same high quality.
Use of CO₂-reduced cements
The largest share of the CO₂ footprint of dry mortars comes from cement production, specifically in the production of cement clinker. The majority of these CO₂ emissions do not originate from the high energy consumption in the cement burning process itself, but almost two-thirds result from the raw materials, as they release gases during burning. In the dry mortar sector, two-thirds of the binders used have now been converted to innovative, more efficient cements that contain less clinker and therefore emit less CO₂ during production.
How a strong facade contributes to climate protection and adaptation in buildings
As a manufacturer of external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS), we make a significant contribution to reducing heat loss in buildings. The resulting energy savings contribute substantially to climate protection in the building sector. The greenhouse gas emissions produced during the manufacture of ETICS are offset within a few years by the efficiency improvements in the building. The exact duration of CO₂ payback depends on multiple factors such as the type of insulation material, wall construction, and heating system. One thing is clear: Insulation is worthwhile in terms of climate protection. The effect of thermal insulation works both ways: as a well-insulated façade lets less heat through, interior spaces stay cooler for longer in summer, protecting users and residents from heat. Thus, ETICS contribute both to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
