Climate action and responsible resource use

By 2030, we aim to reduce our absolute Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 2018 (read more about the measures and milestones in our implementation plan). Indirect emissions result from the electricity consumption of our products during use, or from the materials we use for production, among other things. In addition to steadily decreasing energy consumption of our home appliances, the mass balance approach is an important lever for achieving our emissions reduction target.

The mass balance approach attributes lower-emission materials to specific products, even if these materials are mixed with conventional raw materials during production. This is an important intermediate step for us in reducing the carbon footprint of selected products today, before lower-emission materials become more widely available.

We use the mass balance approach for CO₂-reduced appliances in the Bosch Green Collection. Our Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers have a 50 percent [1] smaller carbon footprint than comparable conventional products. These savings are achieved in part by using bio-circular raw materials in production. Biocircular raw materials are recycled- or waste-materials such as used cooking fat. Special recycling processes can be used to produce the basic building blocks of plastics from these materials. This reduces the use of raw fossil materials and avoids competing with food and feed production. In steel and aluminium production, biogas and renewable energies are increasingly being used to reduce CO₂ emissions. This makes it possible, for the refrigerators in the Bosch Green Collection, to reduce CO₂ emissions from the metals we use by up to 70 percent [2] and from the plastics we process between 60 to 130 percent [3].

We also use the mass balance approach for Bosch Green Collection ovens. Through the use of CO₂-reduced steel and aluminium allocated via mass balancing, these appliances have a 20 percent lower carbon footprint [4] compared to comparable conventional models. In addition, the aluminium used for the dark inox handle consists of more than 85 percent recycled material, contributing to the product's reduced CO₂ footprint.

CO₂-reduced materials are not yet produced on a large scale but are mixed with conventional materials by manufacturers during production. This allows our suppliers to gradually convert their production from conventional materials to materials produced with a lower carbon footprint. This is where the mass balance approach comes in: It documents and certifies the production of these materials with reduced CO₂ emissions and specifically assigns the positive contribution to CO₂ reduction to the products of the Bosch Green Collection. The CO₂-reduced material is no different in quality from conventional material. Consumers who buy a home appliance from the Bosch Green Collection help support demand for materials produced with a lower carbon footprint.

The mass balance approach has been used successfully in the electricity market for years, as it ensures that the amount of electricity from renewable sources generated corresponds to the amount of electricity from renewable sources sold. We consider it a useful interim step in supporting the transition from fossil-based to renewable energy sources and raw materials in established value chains.

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_{[1] Compared to comparable Bosch fridge-freezer with conventional production material (standard size: KGN39VXAT, XL size: KGN492IAF). Calculation of carbon footprint of production material (without packaging) based on ISO 14067. In production, the CO₂ reduced material is partly mixed with conventional material, but is allocated to the Bosch Green Collection fridge-freezers by calculation through mass balancing according to ISO 22095-2. This means that a mass balanced product may, in purely physical terms, contain less or even no CO₂-reduced materials. Verified and confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.}

_{[2] CO₂ reduction in steel by using a higher proportion of scrap and renewable energies in steel production (green electricity, biogas).}

_{[3] CO₂ reduction in plastics by offsetting stored CO₂ emissions from bio-based raw materials (e.g. vegetable fats). Depending on the type of plastic, 50-100% of the basic building blocks (polymers) can be produced from bio-based raw materials. If the bio-content is high, more CO₂ is stored in the plant-based raw material than is produced during production, so that a CO₂ reduction of more than 100% is possible.}

_{[4] Compared to a comparable Bosch oven with conventional production material (HBG7764B1). Calculation of carbon footprint of production material (without packaging) based on ISO 14067. The CO₂ savings achieved through suppliers’ reduction projects within production processes are attributed to specific quantities delivered. In our production, the CO₂ reduced material is partly mixed with conventional material but is allocated to the Bosch Green Collection oven by calculation through mass balancing according to ISO 22095-2. This means that a mass balanced product may, in purely physical terms, contain less or even no CO₂-reduced materials. Verified and confirmed by TÜV Rheinland.}