BRUGG has been recording its own greenhouse gas emissions for two years as part of the Group-wide sustainability strategy. In order to achieve the global ‘net zero’ target as a company in the long term, we want to reduce our own CO2 emissions as far and as quickly as possible. We are aware, however, that we cannot reduce emissions to ‘zero’ overnight. Nevertheless, we are convinced that we need to act now. We therefore want to neutralise the CO2 emissions that cannot be prevented today with a reforestation project that fits in with BRUGG. This will be done to the extent of our own emissions (Scopes 1 & 2). We are proud to be part of a verified and long-term project.
What does the reforestation project involve?
The project in Rwanda focuses on planting bamboo along degraded riverbanks to stabilise the soil, prevent erosion and protect farmland from the frequent flooding in the agricultural regions of Rwanda. The mighty giant bamboo (Sympodium) grows quickly and has a deep root system, making it an effective tool for carbon sequestration and environmental protection.
How is the local population involved?
The project is implemented together with the people of the local communities and enables the villages to work together to achieve an impact throughout the country. This creates new jobs, especially for women, which contributes to gender equality in the region. In addition, the project is verified and registeredby VERRA, which ensures transparency, high accountability and long-term added value for BRUGG.
Bamboo and BRUGG – how do they go together?
One of the BRUGG Group’s core competences is erosion control (e.g. TECCO mesh from Geobrugg). But erosion protection can often also be achieved using natural methods, namely by planting suitable shrubs or trees whose root network stabilises the soil. The planting of riparian zones according to precisely defined specifications has been proven to offer very effective protection with the side effect that the plants – in this case bamboo – grow very quickly, thereby extracting enormous amounts of CO2 from the air, converting it into biomass and storing it permanently.
Did you visit the project yourself?
Yes, two of our employees – Mario Brunn and Alex Heinemann – travelled to Rwanda in December 2023 and inspected the project on site. They were accompanied by our project partners ClimatePartner Impact and EcoPlanet Bamboo. We have summarised the most important questions and answers about the project here: Media room – Rwanda Riparian Restoration Project
