Eicken Group climate targets

With over 250 years of tradition, Joh. Wilh. von Eicken GmbH is deeply aware of its responsibility towards people, the environment and nature. It therefore takes the internationally agreed efforts to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius very seriously. The Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) focuses on these efforts and describes a science-based approach for determining company-specific pathways to reduce greenhouse gases in order to achieve these climate targets. Along with all of the companies in the von Eicken Group, Joh. Wilh. von Eicken GmbH attaches great importance to the sparing use of natural resources every day and the continuous expansion of our efforts to protect the climate and resources. In doing so, we align our ongoing efforts with international climate targets and the requirements of the Science-Based Targets Initiative. Greenhouse gas accounting was carried out in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard for Scope 1 and Scope 2.

The Eicken Group companies are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the requirements of the SBTi, thus making their own contribution to achieving climate neutrality by 2045. Nevertheless, the von Eicken Group faces considerable technical and practical challenges in
 endeavours to achieve the ambitious climate targets. The growth of the corporate group plays a key role in this. Both nationally and internationally, demand for von Eicken Group products has significantly increased in recent years. In order to meet customer demand on the one hand and the Group’s growth ambitions on the other, it is necessary to increase production capacity – not only by expanding existing production sites, but also by establishing additional sites. However, the expansion of production inevitably results in higher energy consumption caused by more intensive use of existing or newly integrated production facilities and locations.
Therefore, the von Eicken Group has to face the additional challenge of increased consumption and associated emissions in the coming years. The emission reduction pathways set out in the SBTi, which are already ambitious based on current data, will be further intensified by the expected increased consumption. Reconciling the required level of reduction with the Group’s growth efforts to meet demand and secure and expand jobs presents is a near-impossible feat. The technical options currently available on the market for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are limited. In their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the companies in the von Eicken Group focus on the entire value chain, from cultivation of raw tobacco and the upstream value chain to their own production sites and the transport and dispatch of the produced goods. This is why the von Eicken Group participates in initiatives such as the Sustainable Tobacco Programme, which aims to address the global challenges of tackling climate change at the very start

Von Eicken Group climate targets of the tobacco value chain. The agricultural production of raw tobacco is one of the main sources of emissions in the tobacco value chain. This is why standards for sustainable, organic farming practices are being implemented and continuously reviewed around the world. in addition, the von Eicken Group uses for various products 100% organic, controlled tobacco cultivation without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilisers. The production of such tobacco complies with the strict requirements of EC organic legislation and plays an important role in further reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the value chain.
In addition, the von Eicken Group takes its responsibility seriously at its own production sites. The production machines are state-of-the-art and are operated as energy-efficiently as possible by experienced and qualified employees. Further potential savings and efficiency measures are also sought on an ongoing basis in order to reduce the sites’ energy requirements or expand the supply of alternative, more sustainable energy sources.
By operating our own photovoltaic systems to generate electricity and the gradual conversion of the vehicle fleet from combustion engines to electric/hybrid drives, renewable energy and sustainable mobility concepts are also of utmost importance to the von Eicken Group. A large number of charging stations at our locations will increase the attractiveness of alternative mobility concepts and make it easier for employees to switch to electric and hybrid drives.
The von Eicken Group also collaborates closely with its packaging suppliers. The aim is to reduce the overall amount of packaging as much as possible and to increase the use of more sustainable packaging solutions (e.g. increased proportion of recycled material or improved compostability). This should tangibly reduce the carbon footprint across large parts of the value chain. These and many other measures reflect the efforts of the von Eicken Group to reduce as many indirect and direct greenhouse gas emissions as possible with maximum sustainability.

Lübeck, March 2023