Way to GO₂
Certified carbon-neutral hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)
Evonik Active Oxygens offers carbon-neutral hydrogen peroxide to customers in Europe. This is enabled through an independently certified approach wherein hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is sold together with a so-called “Way to GO2” certificate. The certificate is based on calculated specific emissions and a detailed life cycle analysis. Read more below.
At a glance
- Available for all H2O₂ products from the European network
- No changes in technical specifications and regulatory documentation
- Customers lower their scope 3 emissions according to SBTi standards
- Physical H₂O₂ delivered by the closest production site: supply security granted
Our global sustainability roadmap at Evonik Active Oxygens
Expanding our handprint and eliminating our footprint
Hydrogen peroxide already has a green handprint. Because it breaks down into only water and oxygen, it can replace other chemistries in industrial processes and thus reduce their environmental impact. Its uses range from water treatment and paper production to pharmaceutical or cosmetic applications.
Our sights are also set on reducing carbon emissions in our production, also known as the “footprint”. Hydrogen peroxide can be viewed as a liquid form of energy: Today we are using mainly natural gas (for producing hydrogen and steam) and electricity (for compressing air as an oxygen source). But the good news is that there are already technologies in place to source the energy from renewable electricity sources. It is just a question of technical implementation – and, of course, the willingness to do so.
In early 2021, Evonik made a firm commitment to start this transformation process and to become a carbon-neutral producer of H₂O₂ by 2040 – across all global production sites. Our concrete roadmap aims to subsequently transform each plant to use renewable sources of energy and implement other efficiency measures. This is closely monitored by annual life cycle assessments. An 8% PCF reduction was already achieved in 2021 by switching to a renewable electricity supply. However, for those customers wanting to accelerate their own transformation, we have implemented a mechanism for obtaining carbon-neutral hydrogen peroxide already now.
Taken together with the roadmap outlined above, we call this: Our Way to GO₂.
Hydrogen peroxide production needs hydrogen, electricity, and steam
![[1] Production of grey hydrogen [2] Production of steam today](https://active-oxygens.evonik.com/en/products-and-services/hydrogen-peroxide/media/773329-desktop.jpg?rev=dd52d9c6e49852a98f5042e9559f7b63)
![[1] Production of green hydrogen [2] Green heating tomorrow](https://active-oxygens.evonik.com/en/products-and-services/hydrogen-peroxide/media/773334-desktop.jpg?rev=7433b42480e255712f6100608d51961e)
Carbon-neutral hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) today: How it works
By applying our certified mass-balance and book-and-claim approach, we assign a small volume of our production a product carbon footprint (PCF) equaling 0, while the remainder carries a slightly higher PCF than the actual life-cycle analysis result.
This enables interested customers to use carbon-neutral H₂O₂ for their decarbonization strategy (scope 3) right away.
WAY TO GO₂ CERTIFICATES
During a yearly review process, the specific emissions from the official life cycle analysis are compared against the baseline. The specific savings achieved (“credits”) are then split into Way to GO₂ certificates. These are transferred to the registry and sold to customers.
