Inrego becames the first company in the world to clean up its emissions of carbon dioxide. The emissions generated during Inrego operations are collected from the atmosphere and returned permanently underground. The climate cleanup is managed by the Swedish cleantech company Biorecro, using the new technology Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) – resulting in removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The World Wide Fund for Nature WWF as well as the International Energy Agency, IEA/OECD, have determined that BECCS is crucial in order to achieve global climate mitigation targets.
In connection with Inrego’s Climate Cleanup, Anders Wijkman, President of the Club of Rome and former Euro MP, stated: “It is gratifying that Inrego is assuming full responsibility for their emissions. It is essential that companies not only report their emissions, but also take steps to eliminate them. In order for us to stop climate change, the effort to greatly reduce emissions must be combined with the actual removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I believe that many companies and businesses would like to be reponsible, and here is an example showing what is possible”.
The carbon dioxide Inrego emits into the atmosphere, a total of 113 tonnes, or the equivalent of seven hot air balloons filled with carbon dioxide, will be captured, compressed and deposited below ground. The liquid carbon dioxide is stored at a depth of 2000 meters below the surface where it will be transformed into stone over the coming millennia.
Inrego focuses on the recycling of computers and other types of IT equipment, and Erik Pettersson, Inrego’s Environmental Manager stated: “We have completely removed our carbon footprint and become carbon neutral in a way that was not previously possible. Simply offsetting carbon emissions through emission rights makes no real difference in the current volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Through our carbon dioxide cleanup we are however able to totally eliminate Inrego’s carbon footprint. The implementation of BECCS technology will make it possible to halt the climate change and I hope other Swedish companies join us in this endeavor.”
Biorecro and BECCS technology have received considerable international attention among researchers, environmental commentators and politicians in recent years. The company has been designated as a Climate Solver by WWF and is one of 11 finalists in the Virgin Earth Challenge, an atmospheric carbon removal competition with a prize of 25 million USD, launched by Richard Branson and Al Gore.
“Inrego is taking the first step towards reversing climate change. It will be crucial to expedite the adoption of BECCS technology and corporations will play a key role in this area. Biorecro is very pleased to have Inrego as our first corporate customer, their current operation is already aimed to support the environment and reduce the impact on the climate” states Henrik Karlsson, CEO of Biorecro.
A number of researchers claim that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere should not exceed 350 ppm (parts per million) – higher levels could cause climate change with serious consequences. Today, the concentration is 393 ppm and is increasing by more than 2 ppm per year. Returning to the 350 ppm level will require massive reductions in emissions as well as negative carbon emissions using BECCS technology. These claims are also endorsed by organisations such as the WWF and the IEA/OECD.
Inrego is a leading reseller in the area of refurbished computers and other IT equipment. The company purchases used equipment, performs reconditioning, erases any stored data, and makes the equipment available for purchase. The company is committed to using climate conscious processes through the entire workflow, and together with their customers, Inrego was able to recycle 120,000 computers during 2011. This corresponds to reducing the environmental impact by 5,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Inrego provides full service support to organizations thoughout Europe, assisting them with the installation of new equipment as well as the removal/transport of products that are being replaced. Inrego was founded in 1995, has 60 employees in Sweden and Norway, and annual sales around 120 MSEK. The company meets many ISO standards, for example: ISO-9001 (quality), ISO-14001 (environment), ISO-27001 (information technology) as well as the OHSAS 18001 standard (occupational health and safety). During recent years, Inrego has received several prestigeous awards, for example been named the “Super Company of the Year” (by “Veckans Affärer”), received the “The Gazelle Company” award (by “Dagens Industri”) and the “Durability Prize” (Hållbarhetspriset, awarded by Swedbank). For additional information see www.inrego.se.
