Utrecht, 12 April 2022 - As of today bol.com is the first e-commerce company in the Netherlands and Belgium to carry the Climate Neutral Certification label. This means that the platform meets the criteria set by the Climate Neutral Group (CNG) to be climate neutral. Together with this sustainability consultancy agency, bol.com mapped the entire CO2 emissions of its processes and set reduction targets according to the rules and guidelines of the Paris Agreement. For bol.com this means that the emissions are calculated from the moment that items arrive in a fulfillment center until delivery to the front door of the customer, and everything in between. Bol.com tries to reduce CO2 emissions as much as possible and what remains bol.com compensates according to the criteria of CNG. For the 49,000 sales partners who sell through the platform, the operational emissions are calculated, which bol.com also offsets.
Jori Ebskamp, lead CSR & sustainability at bol.com: "To reduce our own CO2 emissions, we have already taken steps to make our buildings, packaging, deliveries and returns more sustainable. In the coming years, our focus will be on further reduction, in line with the conditions of CNG. We also support our sales partners in reducing their emissions, for example by sharing knowledge and offering logistics services that make their processes more sustainable. In addition, we now also offset their operational emissions. Because together with all our sales partners, we can really make an impact."
Jouke Roelfzema, CO2 specialist E-commerce at Climate Neutral Group: "By receiving the label, bol.com is the first e-commerce party in the Netherlands and Belgium to be climate-neutral certified according to the Climate Neutral Certification standard. This makes them an inspiring example for the rest of the industry. We hope this will also encourage other organizations to start reducing their climate impact."
Emissions partners also included in the calculation
To receive the quality mark, an organization must have insight into the CO2 emissions of all its processes. In the case of bol.com, this means that the emissions are calculated from the moment that items arrive at bol.com in a fulfillment center until delivery to the customer's doorstep, and everything in between. This takes into account the sales of bol.com itself as well as sales of partners who sell via the platform. The calculation for bol.com includes the impact of fulfillment centers, offices and server locations, as well as energy consumption, packaging and delivery. For sales partners selling via the platform, the calculated emissions consist of an estimate of the impact of their energy consumption, packaging and delivery. The production of items by suppliers and manufacturers is not included in the scope.
Reduction measures
In recent years, bol.com has taken various measures to further reduce its own emissions. For example, by switching to 100 percent wind and solar energy for all buildings, but also by packing items more tailored with less packaging material thanks to the growing use of smart packing machines.
Verification of Climate Neutral Certification label by independent auditor
The reduction measures and compensation will be monitored by an independent auditor. From now on this auditor will assess each year whether bol.com is achieving its reduction goals and still complies with the Climate Neutral Group's climate neutrality standard. This way an annual assessment is made to determine whether bol.com may continue to carry the Climate Neutral Certified label.
