OUR CHOCOLATE
OUR WAY
ABOUT US
VISIT US
We do more for
LESS CO2
As a family business, our responsibility since our founding has been to preserve our company for future generations. Our chocolate is always at the center of everything we do. Nature provides everything we need for its production. Therefore, our task is to conserve the natural resources of our planet and actively combat climate change.
2002
100% Green Electricity
2019
Climate Neutral Production*
2020
Climate Neutral Company*
2025
Complete Climate Neutrality*
Our company is
CLIMATE NEUTRAL
(* according to GHG Protocol and compensation by Gold Standard certificates)
We love colours.
BUT MOST OF ALL GREEN
We use solar energy to commute between our warehouse locations and our production. To supply our production with raw materials as needed, we now save around 500 tons of CO2 thanks to our two new, fully electric truck units (e-trucks), which we put into operation together with our logistics partner at the beginning of 2023.
We use solar energy to commute between our warehouse locations and our production. To supply our production with raw materials as needed, we now save around 500 tons of CO2 thanks to our two new, fully electric truck units (e-trucks), which we put into operation together with our logistics partner at the beginning of 2023.
We use solar energy to commute between our warehouse locations and our production. To supply our production with raw materials as needed, we now save around 500 tons of CO2 thanks to our two new, fully electric truck units (e-trucks), which we put into operation together with our logistics partner at the beginning of 2023.
Since 2002, we generate approximately 70% of our heat and about 30% of our electricity requirements through our combined heat and power plant.
Since 2002, we generate approximately 70% of our heat and about 30% of our electricity requirements through our combined heat and power plant.
Since 2002, we generate approximately 70% of our heat and about 30% of our electricity requirements through our combined heat and power plant.
For more than 20 years, photovoltaics have been making a significant contribution on our way to complete climate neutrality. Now we are up to the next level. Germany's largest solar thermal roof system was installed on our newly built warehouse. It now supplies large amounts of climate-friendly energy for us and our neighbours.
No other solar thermal roof system in Germany currently has such an impressive size. On the roof of the Ritter Sport warehouse, 468 collectors with a total area of 2,312 square metres were installed. They can supply up to 1,125 megawatt hours of heat per year for the local heating network.
Together with the also newly set up photovoltaic on the close by warehouse roof we collect enough energy for our transports between our warehouses and our production. Just by using the sun and full electric trucks.
For more than 20 years, photovoltaics have been making a significant contribution on our way to complete climate neutrality. Now we are up to the next level. Germany's largest solar thermal roof system was installed on our newly built warehouse. It now supplies large amounts of climate-friendly energy for us and our neighbours.
No other solar thermal roof system in Germany currently has such an impressive size. On the roof of the Ritter Sport warehouse, 468 collectors with a total area of 2,312 square metres were installed. They can supply up to 1,125 megawatt hours of heat per year for the local heating network.
Together with the also newly set up photovoltaic on the close by warehouse roof we collect enough energy for our transports between our warehouses and our production. Just by using the sun and full electric trucks.
For more than 20 years, photovoltaics have been making a significant contribution on our way to complete climate neutrality. Now we are up to the next level. Germany's largest solar thermal roof system was installed on our newly built warehouse. It now supplies large amounts of climate-friendly energy for us and our neighbours.
No other solar thermal roof system in Germany currently has such an impressive size. On the roof of the Ritter Sport warehouse, 468 collectors with a total area of 2,312 square metres were installed. They can supply up to 1,125 megawatt hours of heat per year for the local heating network.
Together with the also newly set up photovoltaic on the close by warehouse roof we collect enough energy for our transports between our warehouses and our production. Just by using the sun and full electric trucks.
The future is
E-MOBILITY / TOTALLY ELECTRIFIED
After testing the use of all-electric trucks 2 years ago, we now have changed together with our logistics partner our truck fleet to e-trucks in order to save up to 500 tons of CO2 for our shuttle traffic between our factory and our warehouses. 300.000 km a year we will now drive electrified and climate friendly.
Everything is
BETTER MIXED
By optimizing stirring intervals in our production we have massively reduced the energy required for stirring the chocolate and filling masses. We now save around 76% of the necessary power, which corresponds to over 900,000 kWh per year. Even seemingly small measures can make a big difference!
We count on
GREEN ENERGY
We have been producing our chocolate exclusively with green electricity since 2002. With our photovoltaic systems on our warehouse roof, we also produce our own electricity to operate now even our transportation between our warehouses and production with e-trucks.
REDUCE
rather than compensate
We embarked on our path toward climate neutrality on our initiative about 20 years ago. Our primary goal is always to prevent emissions from occurring in the first place, rather than compensating for them after the fact.
1
REDUCE
REDUCE
With our energy concept, we have continuously reduced our emissions over the years. Since 2002 we have been sourcing green electricity exclusively from renewable sources. Our photovoltaic modules, our combined heat and power plant and a continuous energy management ensure further savings.
With our energy concept, we have continuously reduced our emissions over the years. Since 2002 we have been sourcing green electricity exclusively from renewable sources. Our photovoltaic modules, our combined heat and power plant and a continuous energy management ensure further savings.
2
CALCULATE
CALCULATE
No matter how hard we try, we naturally cannot reduce our emissions entirely to zero. That's why we now have external experts calculate the remaining emissions in our direct sphere of influence every year. For 2022, these were 28,847 metric tons.
No matter how hard we try, we naturally cannot reduce our emissions entirely to zero. That's why we now have external experts calculate the remaining emissions in our direct sphere of influence every year. For 2022, these were 28,847 metric tons.
3
COMPENSATE
COMPENSATE
To offset unavoidable emissions, we use certificates following the internationally recognized Gold Standard and, in the future, our certificates from our farm El Cacao in Nicaragua.
To offset unavoidable emissions, we use certificates following the internationally recognized Gold Standard and, in the future, our certificates from our farm El Cacao in Nicaragua.
Typically German
TÜV CERTIFIED
We have been a climate-neutral company since 2020, meaning that we also offset the emissions from Scope 3* over which we have a direct influence. In the years 2021 to 2025, in cooperation with our suppliers, we will make the emissions over which we have no power (Scope 3**) ultimately climate neutral. To calculate our climate neutrality, we rely on the internationally recognized Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) and are certified annually by TÜV Nord.
350
Employees
SCOPE 1
Scope 1 emissions come from emission sources within the considered system boundaries of the company, such as the company's own power plants, vehicle fleets or air conditioning.
SCOPE 2
Scope 2 emissions arise when generating energy that is obtained from outside, primarily electricity and heat from energy services.
SCOPE 3*
Scope 3 * emissions are all other emissions that are caused by the company's activities, on which the company has an influence, but which are not under the control of the company, e.g. arrival and departure of employees, business trips, waste, water, copy paper.
SCOPE 3**
Scope 3 ** emissions are all other emissions that are caused by the company's activities but are not under the company's control, for example from suppliers, service providers, raw materials including their cultivation, packaging, etc.
FAQs
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What does it mean that Ritter Sport is a climate neutral company?
We produce in a CO2-neutral manner and have reduced the greenhouse gas emissions generated at our sites in Germany and the other emissions over which we have a direct influence through various measures and have provided offsetting standards for the remaining emissions. By doing so, we are going one step further than the CO2-neutral production already achieved for 2019 (= Scope 1 and 2) and additionally include delivery transports, employee transports, and waste (= the parts of Scope 3 that we can directly influence).
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How was the company's CO2 neutrality achieved?
We have achieved the result of years of effort by the company to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. In our family-owned company, ecological management has been fundamental in the corporate culture for decades. For example, Ritter conducted the first eco-audit in the entire industry back in 1996.
We operate a comprehensive energy management system in production. Since 2002, we have been using 100% renewable energies and use our combined heat and power plant.
In the last two years, we have invested approx. 1.25 million € in energy-saving measures, e.g., in a point-based air conditioning system in production, saving more than 600 tons of CO2 per year.
Our top priority is, therefore, to prevent CO2 emissions from occurring in the first place.
The development of the company's own El Cacao farm, which began in 2012, also makes a positive contribution to the climate through the cultivation of cocoa in mixed cultivation with other trees native to the area and the reforestation of existing forest areas, as well as the binding of CO2 in the soil through the composting of biomass produced.
However, since we do not want to keep the climate waiting, we have decided to initially achieve CO2 neutrality by purchasing external certificates, i.e., by promoting other exterior climate protection projects. This initiative has the same CO2-neutral effect on the climate.
Thus, for 2019, we have made our entire production (Scope 1 and 2) climate neutral. For 2020, we have additionally made our delivery transports, employee transports, and waste climate neutral (the parts of Scope 3 that we can directly influence). To offset greenhouse gas emissions, we support meaningful climate projects and go well beyond the measures required for this.
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What does our CO2 neutrality relate to?
The CO2 neutrality we have now achieved relates, on the one hand, to our direct greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., the emissions that occur within our company (Scope 1). On the other hand to the indirect emissions caused by us elsewhere through the provision of our required energy (Scope 2) as well as the other indirect emissions over which we have a direct influence (such as our transports, business trips by our employees and our waste) (parts of Scope 3).
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Scope 1, 2, or 3?
Since 2019, we have achieved climate-neutral production, i.e., CO2-neutral, according to Scope 1 and 2. Since 2020, we have been a climate-neutral company, i.e., Scope 1, 2, and including the areas from Scope 3 on which we directly influence. We have set ourselves even more ambitious targets for the coming years.
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Does this apply to all of the company's locations?
Included in the calculation are all Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG locations that existed in 2020, including our international subsidiaries.
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Is the entire supply chain CO2 neutral?
No, the production of our chocolate and the company, Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, are set climate neutral.
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Why was it possible to achieve the goal earlier than planned?
In recent years, we have worked intensively towards the goal of "CO2 neutrality".
For example, we operate a comprehensive energy management system in production, have been using only green electricity for many years, and run our CHP (Combined Heat- and Power-Plant) plant. Other measures include the climate-neutral shipping of packages and the outsourcing of the company's vehicle fleet in favor of car sharing.
The establishment of our mixed-culture cocoa farm is also contributing to the climate, but we will not include it until 2022 after validation is completed.
As we do not want to keep the climate waiting, we have decided to take compensatory measures for the remaining emissions from our production, i.e., to purchase certificates to support meaningful climate projects.
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What are other goals / milestones?
By 2025, we have set ourselves the ambitious goal of achieving complete CO2 neutrality for our company and our operations, including those areas over which we have no direct influence. As our suppliers mainly generate these emissions, we would like to include them here and motivate them to operate in a CO2-neutral manner to achieve this goal together.
We want to share our
PASSION FOR COCOA
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