Our 2022 Climate Smart Report Card

Written by Lea Coté
LEED Green Associate and Sustainability Officer for Botanical PaperWorks

At Botanical PaperWorks, we’re on a mission to leave a positive impact on the environment and make our planet a better place. We first introduced Climate Smart to you back in 2019 when we began our certification process. Since partnering with Climate Smart, we have embarked on an incredible journey to become a leader in climate action.

What is Climate Smart?

The Radicle Climate Smart Program focuses on measuring, reducing, and continually tracking greenhouse gas emissions for small and medium-sized businesses in every industry. It all starts with a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment tailored specifically for your business. This assessment lists and measures the emissions created across your entire business. It looks at everything from production and transportation to day-to-day operations. By measuring your carbon footprint, you’ll learn valuable information about how your actions affect the environment and find areas where you can make improvements.

After figuring out your carbon footprint, Radicle works closely with your business to create a customized plan for reducing emissions. This plan outlines specific actions and strategies that align with your unique circumstances, enabling you to effectively reduce emissions and achieve your sustainability targets. 

But the Climate Smart Program doesn’t stop there. Sustainability is an ongoing journey, which is why we go through annual tracking and improvement. Since 2019, Botanical PaperWorks has been certified yearly on our journey with Climate Smart and has continued to reduce our emissions every year. We’re excited to share the results from our latest report to celebrate where we’re at.

Our 2022 report card

How have we been doing?

Over the past 4 years, Botanical PaperWorks has seen a steady reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across a variety of categories.

Our greenhouse gas inventory report for the 2022 calendar year revealed that we’re only 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) away from our baseline target!

Since 2021, Botanical PaperWorks has also reduced our emissions by over 31 tonnes of CO2.

The top four sources of emissions at Botanical PaperWorks are garbage, heat, transporting goods and staff commuting.

Since identifying this, we are working on implementing actions that will help reduce emissions in these categories.

Our biggest decreases in emission sources are:

• transporting people
• electricity
• internal paper consumption

Surprisingly, even though transporting goods is one of our higher emission amounts, Botanical PaperWorks actively reduced shipping-related emissions by adjusting packaging and policies.

We are also proud to say that our products play a vital role in reducing global emissions overall. By providing alternatives to traditional plastic packaging through our seed paper boxes, belly bands, and box filler, we actively contribute to this cause. In addition, our seed paper is made from 100% recycled materials, such as post-consumer and post-industrial waste. This sustainable production process helps us close the loop and minimize waste.

Looking to the future

Knowing what our environmental impacts are helps us to focus our efforts in reducing them moving forward.

Botanical PaperWorks is committed to constantly improving and lowering our carbon emissions. We are working on a variety of actions that affect our overall emissions while also targeting our highest emission sources. These include shipping packaging and policy, energy efficiency initiatives, and staff commuting initiatives.

One thing we have implemented since April 2023 is reducing our organic waste with help from Compost Winnipeg. Over 10 weeks, our company has successfully diverted 560 lbs of compost from being sent to the landfill! To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be captured by four tree seedlings if they were grown for a period of ten years.

At Botanical PaperWorks, we’re passionate about making a meaningful difference in the environment. That’s why we’ve wholeheartedly embraced the Climate Smart Program, embarking on an incredible journey toward climate action. When you purchase Botanical PaperWorks products, you are helping to support a company that is dedicated to sustainability and making a tangible difference in the fight against climate change. By using innovative eco-friendly materials and practices, we strive to reduce our carbon footprint and preserve the natural resources that are essential for a healthy planet. With each step we take, from using recycled paper to diverting organics from our landfill, we are one step closer to a greener future for our planet and future generations. Together, we can make a meaningful difference and inspire others to join us in creating a more sustainable world.