Environment and resources

This Sustainability Report covers the entire HOLINGER Group. Where possible, data for the calendar year 2023 has been collected from all subsidiaries and companies. Missing and incomplete data was supplemented with appropriate assumptions and extrapolated based on the number of full-time positions.
Mobility behaviour (kilometres travelled and means of transport used) was recorded for national and international business travel and employee commuting. Electricity and heating consumption was measured for all office locations. Total electricity consumption also includes the two data centres in Basel and Zurich. Primary energy consumption (in kWh oil-eq) and greenhouse gas emissions (in tonnes CO2 -eq) were calculated using the KBOB life cycle assessment data for 2022. The results include the full life cycle of mobility, electricity, heat and paper, but exclude grey energy and emissions from the buildings used by HOLINGER. For better comparability, the figures are presented per full-time position and compared with the figures for 2019 and 2021. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a comparison with 2021 is of limited value.

 

 

PAPER CONSUMPTION 

In 2023, the HOLINGER Group›s total paper consumption will be just over 5 tonnes of paper with 50% recycled content. This is significantly less than in 2019 and 2021 at around 8 tonnes each and represents a halving per full-time position. Greenhouse gas emissions were around 5.5 tonnes of CO2 -eq and primary energy consumption was just under 45 000 kWh of oil-eq.

HEATING

The heating requirements of the HOLINGER sites in 2023 amount to just over 1 million kWh, which corresponds to just under 1.2 million kWh of oil equivalent and 240 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This represents a reduction of around 20% per full-time position compared to 2021 and around 40% compared to 2019. The specific heating demand in 2023 is around 70 kWh per m2 of energy reference area.

ELECTRICITY

The HOLINGER Group›s electricity consumption in 2023 was just under 600 000 kWh. This does not include the electricity used to charge the company’s own electric cars, as this is included in business mobility. Per full-time position, this represents an increase of just under 13% compared to 2021 and a good 19% compared to 2019. This is due to the discontinuation of the obligation to work from home and the new inclusion of servers run by external companies. In total, this resulted in a primary energy requirement of just under 850 000 kWh oil-eq or greenhouse gas emissions of 36 t CO2 -eq. The high greenhouse gas emissions compared to previous years - 16 t CO2 -eq in 2019 and 8 t CO2 -eq in 2021 - can be explained by the fact that the electricity mix was not known for most of the German sites and therefore an average mix was assumed. The high value is therefore largely due to the calculation methodology and not to an actual increase in emissions.

 

COMMUTER MOBILITY

Commuter mobility was analysed on the basis of an employee survey in about a third of all offices. According to the survey, HOLINGER employees travelled a total of almost 5 300 000 km to work in 2023, which is equivalent to circumnavigating the globe 131 times. While the car was the most popular mode of transport for commuting throughout Switzerland (52%), only just under 38% of HOLINGER employees travelled by car regularly. The majority, 40%, travelled by train. Non-motorised transport was also popular, with 20% (Swiss average: 17%). In total, the primary energy demand for commuting was 4.1 million kWh oil equivalent and caused 817 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Per full-time position, commuting mobility decreased by about 3% compared to 2019 (a comparison with the 2021 figures is not meaningful due to the home office regulations). The simultaneous increase in primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per FTE compared to 2019 is again due to the different emission factors for cars.

BUSINESS MOBILITY

In 2023, HOLINGER employees travelled almost 2 500 000 km for business purposes - to attend meetings, projects or training courses. This corresponds to a primary energy consumption of almost 3 million kWh oil-eq and emissions of 675 tonnes CO2 -eq. This is a significant increase per full-time position compared to both 2019 (12%) and 2021 (25%). There are several reasons for this: Firstly, the increase compared to 2021 is probably partly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Secondly, this year is the first time that train, air and car travel has been fully included for HOLINGER Germany. Another explanation for the increase in primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions is that different emission factors were used for cars this time, allowing a more realistic calculation. Much of the increase is therefore due to a change in methodology rather than an actual increase in business travel.

TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

In total, HOLINGER consumed approximately 9.1 million kWh of primary energy in 2023. This was associated with greenhouse gas emissions of 1772 tonnes of CO2 -eq. Per full-time position, this results in a primary energy consumption of just under 16 000 kWh oil-eq and greenhouse gas emissions of 3.1 t CO2 -eq. This represents an increase in primary energy consumption of 61% compared to 2021 and 36% compared to 2019. Greenhouse gas emissions increase by 80% compared to 2021 and 44% compared to 2019. The main reasons Are:d:

  • The use of more realistic factors to calculate primary energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions for cars. This accounts for around half of the increase.
  • More rigorous recording of business travel, in particular air, rail and car travel by HOLINGER Germany.

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