sustainability

Grünhof was founded in 2013 with a strong sustainability impulse. As an impact-driven company, we may have come to this step a bit late, but after nearly ten years, we’ve finally completed our first comprehensive CO₂ balance and fully offset our carbon footprint. Now, we’re continuing our journey toward becoming a climate-friendly organization — and we’re happy to have companions along the way!

Our positive impact on society and the environment comes primarily through supporting other innovators at the Social Innovation Lab, Smart Green, and machn — all of whom are bringing solutions for a more sustainable future to life. We actively shape an ecosystem that enables transformation toward sustainable business practices and a good life for all.

A central part of this ecosystem are our physical spaces in Freiburg, which serve as workplaces for the changemakers driving this transformation together with us.

To help our economy reach #netzero as soon as possible, it’s not enough to talk about positive impact — we must also live by the principle of “do no harm” by reducing our own emissions wherever possible and offsetting those that remain unavoidable.

For the year 2021, we created our first CO₂ balance with the support of CO₂-positiv! We offset our emissions through a high-quality reforestation project, making us climate neutral on balance. But we know that’s only the beginning — we’re continuing to reduce our footprint and strengthen our transformative impact every day.

The emission sources listed across different departments

CO₂ Balance 2021

In 2021, we assessed all Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions from our organization and assigned them to our different business areas and activities. That year, Grünhof was responsible for 220 tons of CO₂e emissions. More than 90% of these fell into Scope 3 – the category over which we have only indirect influence.

Here’s where you can find our detailed CO₂ Balance 2021:


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Where We Stand

What we’re already doing:

  • Energy: 100% green electricity

  • Mobility: cycling, car sharing, train – no flights

  • Catering: vegetarian and regional (that alone cuts emissions by around 50% – Google it!)

  • Paperless office: digital accounting and no printed invoices

What we’re still working on:

  • Moderation materials made of paper

  • Car sharing vehicles that still run on combustion engines

  • Online shopping from you know where... unfortunately still too convenient when it comes to one-off purchases

Accelerating Transformation...

That’s why we actively support other changemakers and networks:

  • Supporting community-supported agriculture (CSA) through a pick-up point at Café POW

  • Making it easier to ditch the car with our JobRad partnership

  • Engaging in political committees, such as Freiburg’s Sustainability Council

  • Being a member of the Federal Association for Sustainable Economy (BNW) and the Social Entrepreneurship Network Germany (SEND)

  • Acting as a sponsor of TEDx Freiburg

Would you like to discuss these topics with our sustainability experts? Then get in touch at jonathan@gruenhof.org.