Today, our planet is under enormous pressure. Its resources are finite and air pollution is a massive problem. With rising economies and a growing world population, there is an urgent need to investigate new business models, explore renewable energy and green technologies and to improve air quality in cities and regions across the world.
Air pollution
Air pollution levels remain at dangerously high levels in many parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits.
Furthermore, WHO estimates that around 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing various diseases. Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems of today’s society.
Carbon footprint reduction
One method to decrease air pollution is to reduce carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by a particular human activity—primarily through burning fossil fuels. A carbon footprint can be a broad measure or can be applied to individual actions. It is usually measured as tons of CO2 emitted per year.
Many factors are taken into consideration. For example, driving to work burns fuel. Office buildings are powered by electricity, so they have their own carbon footprint. The paper delivered to the office has a carbon footprint from manufacturing and shipping. Beyond that, food grown and raised on farms produces methane, which also has a greenhouse effect. The refrigerators that store the food have a footprint from electricity usage. All of these elements are combined to understand the full carbon footprint of a given activity.
DLL operates as a carbon neutral company. We have already achieved our target goal for 2020 - reducing the global footprint per full-time employee by 10% since 2013 and 20% since 2009. With those goals now met, new initiatives such as our carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction plan are in place.
We monitor our carbon footprint globally on a quarterly basis. This includes flight and car mileage and kilometers, electricity, heating and paper consumption. Annually, we calculate these statistics to determine the carbon footprint in the more than 30 countries in which we operate. Additionally, DLL compensates for its global footprint by buying internationally traded carbon credits in several clean tech projects. These projects aim to remove a certain amount of CO2 from the environment through alternate energy sources such as wind and solar.
We are dedicated to sustaining our planet
DLL provides wholesale and retail financing for clean technology projects and continually seeks to develop innovative financial solutions to support the growth of emerging technologies and assets that aim towards clean air.
For several years, DLL has financed various forms of renewable energy around the world. We recently added anaerobic digesters to our financial offerings, which take methane from the air and recycle it into clean energy for our partners’ operations. Anaerobic digestion systems are becoming increasingly common in manufacturing and farming operations.
More research and financial products continue to be unveiled as DLL aims to reduce global carbon levels for a more sustainable planet. Learn more about DLL’s commitment to Corporate Responsibility.