The commitment to climate change: energy and emissions

Contain, reduce, improve

Energy is an essential resource for the creation of value, but equally vital is the need to use it responsibly and sparingly, as the climate crisis and the new and painful geopolitical context demand. All the more reason why efforts to reduce consumption and emissions must intensify.
In 2021 Camst's energy consumption - relative to the pre-Covid period - shows a 15% decrease, accompanied by a three-digit growth in the use of renewables. An achievement of which we are proud - however much it is affected by production’s failure to return to pre-pandemic levels - and which only we can replicate, with our actions, day by day.

In the catering area - for which Camst has obtained UNI CEI EN ISO 50001:2018 energy certification - the consumption of electricity and heat are inevitably significant due to the work in the kitchens where meals are prepared, but this does not mean that reductions are impossible. Consumption also covers the transport of meals and corporate mobility, as well as the air-conditioning of workplaces.
If we analyse the values for 2021 as compared to those of the previous year, we find on overall increase (+9% electricity, +11% natural gas, +25% fuels), which should, however, be read in the light of the pandemic-imposed shutdown of activities for long periods in 2020. If, on the other hand, the comparison is with the data for 2019, i.e. pre-pandemic data, a decidedly positive trend of improvement is evident, as shown by the infographic, albeit influenced by the fact that production is not yet at full capacity.

Having passed the peak of the health emergency, efficiency measures resumed in 2021, resulting in a reduction of almost 500,000 primary kWh of energy. The investments involved in particular the replacement of lighting fixtures with LED elements, as well as the renewal of boilers, heat pumps and domestic hot water generators, and was accompanied by the ongoing management and maintenance of plants and equipment, with the aim of ensuring their efficient operation.
We also launched our ‘Accendiamo il risparmio... energetico’ (Turn on the energy saving) project, with the aim of educating our workforce on the need to reduce energy waste through the adoption of small daily behaviours in family life, in the choice of means of transport and in the workplace. In 2021, 700 facilities, for a total of 3,000 people, were involved in the initiative.

In terms of emissions, Camst sets targets for continuous improvement, seeking low-carbon solutions. Figures for the three-year period 2019-2021 show a reduction in total catering division emissions compared to the pre-Covid period - albeit affected by business downtimes - and a slight increase for the facility division, linked to the growth of this business area. But, most importantly, all our emission intensity indices (a value that relates the tonnes of CO2 equivalent released into the atmosphere to the number of meals produced or work orders completed) are improving: thanks to the increased use of energy from renewable sources, in fact, catering has shown an improvement of almost 20%, while the facility division is confirming the positive trend of previous years.