IU Group has successfully renewed its certification as a climate-neutral organisation in accordance with the international PAS 2060 specification. The certification was granted by TÜV SÜD, one of the largest and most important German technical certification providers, after an audit of our corporate carbon footprint for the year 2022 and of the relevant carbon compensation measures.
IU Group’s total greenhouse gas emissions for 2022 amounted to 17,544 t CO2e. The vast majority of our emissions are indirect emissions that occur along the value chain (Scope 3 emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol). Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect, related to energy consumption) emissions account for only around 6% of total emissions.
During 2022, Scope 3 emissions have naturally risen as a result of the overall growth in student numbers and due to the end of the pandemic. At the same time, the combination of Scope 1 and 2 has decreased by 7.5%, primarily due to the further expansion of green electricity. Compared to pre-pandemic figures, the total of Scope 1 and 2 combined has almost halved.
Despite strong growth, the intensity of carbon emissions per student has not risen sharply. This figure is still almost twice below pre-pandemic values and at the same level as at the beginning of the pandemic. IU Group has compensated its carbon footprint for 2022 by relying on officially certified climate projects that meet the highest standards. In addition to the environmental protection aspect, each of these projects has an important social component.
The compensation of IU Group's 2022 carbon footprint took place via the following projects, which were officially verified in accordance with Gold Standard VER:
1. Enabling access to clean drinking water by restoring wells in the Kono region in Sierra Leone: 6,300 tonnes of CO2e compensated (35%).
2. Efficient cookstoves next to Nyungwe national park in Rwanda: 6,300 tonnes of CO2e compensated (35%).
3. Enabling access to clean drinking water by repair and drilling of new boreholes in the Kasungu region in Malawi: 1,800 tonnes of CO2e compensated (10%).
4. Enabling access to clean drinking water through natural water filter technology in Cambodia: 1,800 tonnes of CO2e compensated (10%).
5. Distributing efficient cooking stoves to fight deforestation in Uganda: 1,800 tonnes of CO2e compensated (10%).
18,000 tonnes of CO2e compensated in total (above the de-facto carbon footprint of 17,544 t).
IU Group has been certified by TÜV SÜD as climate-neutral every year since 2019. We were the first higher education provider to receive such certification from TÜV SÜD. The carbon footprint of IU Group is significantly below that of traditional educational institutions thanks to our predominant focus on distance learning.
What is even more important, IU Group is among the pioneers in the German higher education sector when it comes to the transparency of the carbon footprint. We were among the first providers of higher education to start calculating and publicly reporting our carbon footprint, let alone compensating for it.
Nevertheless, it is still necessary to note that our total carbon footprint has significantly increased in 2022 compared to the previous year. It will probably rise further in 2023 as a result of continued active growth of our operations, including expansion overseas, and due to the effect of the end of the pandemic. Therefore, we constantly look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint by further optimising our energy usage and, more importantly, by minimising our Scope 3 emissions.
In addition to certification by TÜV SÜD, we are also proud to be certified as a climate-neutral organisation by ClimatePartner, another well-respected German certification provider. Further information on our sustainability efforts can be found in our latest ESG report.
