Corporate Carbon Footprint of a Palm Oil Mill

Abstract

Colombia is the largest producer of palm oil in America. An estimate of the carbon footprint of a Colombian agro-industrial
company during 2011 is presented in this paper. Only the operations conducted within the company’s processing plant are
considered. Greenhouse gas emissions are estimated by applying the methodology proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC), which considers the physical chemical properties and emission factors for fuels and activities
described by the Colombian Mining and Energy Planning Unit. The carbon footprint is found to be 115,352 t CO2 for the
studied year. Of these emissions, 58% correspond to anaerobic open lagoons for water treatment, 41% to stationary
combustion equipment, and only 1% to transportation vehicles and heavy machinery owned by the company. By identifying
emission sources and estimating the carbon footprint, this company is now able to set objectives leading to a reduction in
emissions and the implementation of strategies to minimize environmental effects caused by this process.