PRESS RELEASE
KappAhl pays quarter of a million to offset its carbon footprint
2010-10-05
KappAhl takes environmental action
KappAhl pays quarter of a million to offset its carbon footprint
The greenhouse effect is a global problem and, for many years, KappAhl has been implementing an active strategy to reduce the impacts that an international organisation has on the environment.
KappAhl has been offsetting all its business travel since 2007.
“In one year, we have purchased almost a quarter of a million kronor worth of carbon offsets. This money has been invested in wind power in Southern India. This means that 400 textile industries get electricity generated by wind power instead of brown coal,” explains Ann-Marie Heinonen, Head of Environmental Affairs at KappAhl.
KappAhl was the first fashion chain in the world to be certified under Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001 in 1999. "We were also the first Nordic fashion company to practise carbon offsetting for our air travel. Since we began in October 2007, we have offset 1815 tonnes of carbon emissions by investing almost SEK 700,000,” says Ann-Marie Heinonen, Head of Environmental Affairs at KappAhl.
The fees paid to offset emissions are invested into Indian wind power projects. The TASMA spinning mills association in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu comprises about 250 small-scale textile businesses. They jointly operate a wind power park consisting of more than 700 turbines. India’s production of energy is mainly based on fossil fuel. This project adds wind-power-generated electricity to the electricity network, thereby helping to cut carbon emissions by about 687,000 tonnes each year.
KappAhl uses video conferencing and teleconferencing to replace many meetings and increasing numbers of KappAhl employees take the train when travelling on business.
“Above all, our production offices in our purchasing markets have cut down on business travel. Our production offices also enable us to have better environmental, quality and work environmental control out at our suppliers,” Ann-Marie Heinonen says.
KappAhl has also undertaken far-reaching initiatives to minimise its environmental impact when transporting goods by using less environmentally-damaging alternatives, such as sea and rail transport. Less transport, combined loading and efficient route planning have helped to reduce carbon emissions by 40.6% in three years.
“What makes it even more remarkable is that we have achieved this reduction while our operations have been expanding," remarks Ann-Marie Heinonen.
More information about KappAhl’s work towards sustainability is available at www.kappahl.com under the tab About KappAhl.
For further information:
Ann-Marie Heinonen, Head of Environmental Affairs, KappAhl
Tel. +46 (0)31-771 55 95, (0)704-71 55 95. Email: ann-marie.heinonen@kappahl.com
Charlotte Högberg, Head of Communications, KappAhl
Tel. +46 (0)31-771 56 31, (0)704-71 56 31. Email: charlotte.hogberg@kappahl.com
KappAhl is a leading fashion chain with more than 350 stores and 4,800 employees in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic. KappAhl sells affordable fashion to a wide range of consumers – women, men and children – with a particular focus on women in the 30 to 50 age group with families. All KappAhl garments are designed by its own fashion team. In 1999, KappAhl was the first fashion chain to receive environmental management standard certification. KappAhl’s sales for the 2009/2010 financial year totalled SEK 5.1 billion and its operating income amounted to SEK 551 million. KappAhl is quoted on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm. More information is available on www.kappahl.com.
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE