Premier Packaging has reached net-zero Scope 1 and 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions for our operations through purchased measures such as carbon offsets and renewable energy credits. We are believed to be the first packaging company to reach this goal.
Premier has a goal of total net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
“We recognize that purchasing carbon offsets is not a perfect solution to reach carbon neutrality, but it is one thing we can do now to reduce our carbon footprint while we work to achieve true net-zero operations,” said Sustainability Manager Mackenzie Crigger. “This is very exciting.”
Carbon offsets are tradable “rights” or certificates linked to activities that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Premier purchased the carbon offsets from a United Nations-backed project in India, the production of fertilizer through a carbon-neutral process by Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited. These offsets are used to counter Premier’s Scope 1 emissions—direct emissions owned or controlled by a company, such as burning fuel in a fleet of non-electric vehicles.
Renewable energy credits are produced when a renewable energy source, such as wind or solar, generates one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity and delivers it to the grid. By purchasing the credits, we are buying the “renewable” aspect of the electricity and can use it to counter our Scope 2 emissions—indirect emissions that come from the production of the energy we purchase and use.
Purchasing these assets is only part of Premier’s multi-faceted strategy to reaching net-zero carbon emissions.
“We are tracking emissions across our operations, buildings, and transportation and working to reduce them,” Mackenzie said. “This includes understanding how packaging design impacts our products’ carbon footprint and reducing energy consumption in our facilities. We’re working with lower-carbon suppliers when we can, exploring cleaner ways of moving and shipping goods—and much more.”
You can find out more about Premier’s sustainability efforts here.
*Premier has purchased renewable energy credits and carbon offsets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for our direct energy use (i.e., scope 1 and scope 2 emissions) since 2022.
Carbon offsets for 2022 – 2025 were purchased from Climate Change Consultants, LLC. The offsets for 2022 and 2023 were from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project number 2,792: N20 Abatement in HP Nitric Acid Plants at Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited, India. Emissions avoided from the project were calculated using the CDM’s additionality assessment tool, version 5.2 EB 39.
Offsets for 2024 and most of 2025 were from Universal Carbon Registry project number 016: Small Scale Cattle Biogas to Power Projects in AP, Karnataka, Karnataka, Kerala and Haryana, India. Avoided emissions were calculated using CDM methods AMS-III.H. version 3 and AMD I.C. version 21.
The remaining offsets for 2025 were purchased acquired from STX Group. The offsets were from Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) project 2354: Yichang Sunjiawan MSW landfill site LFG recovery to power project. Avoided emissions from both landfill gas and grid power generation were calculated using CDM method ACM0001, version 19.
Premier follows guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for Corporate Accounting when calculating our greenhouse gas emissions and has not sought third-party verification of our calculations.