Home Sustainability report Emerald
”’Inspired by nature, our mission is to make the world happier and more colourful.”
As a family-run business, we are passionate about creating a sustainable future. With future generations in mind, we work hard to reduce our ecological footprint on the world. In our sustainability report, we show how we are committed to making our vision a reality by focusing on four key pillars:
We believe that by working together, we can achieve so much more. That is why our team is vital in everything we do: from creating the right work culture and climate, to ensuring the very highest standards of customer service. The key to a sustainable organisation is creating the right working environment so that colleagues can continue to develop and build on their individual talents throughout their careers. We do this in several ways:
In 2023, we moved to our new headquarters in Eindhoven. This new location includes an 8,500m² warehouse, a 2,000m² showroom and 1,000m² of office space. Developed to be energy-neutral, the building features 140 solar panels and a thermal energy storage system. This system extracts heat from the ground, which is then used to heat and cool the floor.
In addition, the building is equipped with an air handling system for fresh air and an energy-efficient VRF climate control system. Our head office is fully equipped with LED lighting and we use only electric vehicles in our warehouse. Finally, almost 85% of our waste is recycled by one of our partners.
All artificial flowers and artificial plants assembled in our service department are delivered in sustainable packaging that is FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) and printed with eco-friendly ink. Moreover, we encourage cardboard recycling and reuse with various initiatives.
Artificial flowers and artificial plants from Emerald stay beautiful for years and do not require water or nutrition. Wherever possible, our artificial flowers and artificial plants are made from recycled materials. The result? You can enjoy that splash of colour in your interior for years to come while also contributing to a more sustainable future.
Our team currently supplies more than 50 countries worldwide. To achieve this, we work with partners who share our ambition for a more sustainable world. Since 2020, we have been an official sustainability partner of Noble Achievers. They support us in establishing and implementing partnership principles and sustainability policies. Our 2020 EEC partnership principles reflect all our values for maintaining a successful and fair partnership, including:
We launched our sustainability roadmap in 2017 and have since achieved a number of milestones. After moving to our new headquarters in 2023, we intensified our commitment to sustainability by partnering with the Climate Neutral Group. This organisation helps companies reduce their carbon emissions and has been operating globally for almost 20 years with impactful climate projects that deliver high-quality carbon offsets. On the carbon front, CNG offers a range of standard and tailor-made offset solutions. It also has strong relationships with developers of carbon offset projects around the world. In our sustainability report, we also discuss these collaborations and their impact.
In Q1 2023, Climate Neutral Group started calculating our carbon footprint. As a result, we understand how to offset our emissions. This analysis was based on the Greenhouse Gas Protecol scopes, which look at both our direct and indirect environmental impact within Emerald’s supply chain. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides a comprehensive global standardised framework for measuring as well as managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It covers private and public sector activities, value chain and mitigation measures. The analysis for Emerald covered scope 1 and 2, supplemented by some elements of scope 3 of the GHG Protocol.
Through various projects, the Climate Neutral Group helps to offset emissions and contribute to sustainable development goals. These projects are developed by CNG or third parties and are certified to the highest international standards such as the Gold Standard and the Verified Carbon Standard. In 2022 and 2023, we participated in the following carbon offset projects:
2. Forest conservation (2022)
This project concerns the protection of existing forests. In addition, these forest conservation projects help increase biodiversity, protect water resources and create a better environment for local communities.
Over the next few years, we will take several steps to closely monitor our footprint. This process consists of four main steps:
Do you have any questions about Emerald’s sustainability report? Contact us at sustainability@eeg.nl