Why DSwiss is committed to climate protection
Following the Paris Agreement, 195 countries around the world have ratified the international treaty which, in addition to strengthening climate resilience and steering financial flows away from carbon-intensive investments, provides for the 1.5 degree target: The increase in the global average temperature must be slowed and limited to a maximum of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
To achieve the 1.5-degree target, globalCO2 emissions must be halved every decade so that net greenhouse gas emissions reach zero between 2045 and 2060. This means that greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 7% every year so that the melting of glaciers, rising sea levels and many other negative consequences of climate change can be stopped in the long term.
As an IT company, we at DSwiss also see it as our responsibility to make our contribution to achieving these goals. On the one hand, we want to reduce theCO2 emissions caused by our business activities. On the other hand, we want to actively promote climate protection by providing financial support forCO2-reducing climate protection projects.
How DSwiss reducesCO2 emissions
DSwiss is an IT company and cloud provider that operates its own server infrastructure in various data centers. Therefore, electricity and IT equipment are among the most important items in our greenhouse gas balance. This is where our main efforts to reduceCO2 emissions come in.
DSwiss operates three server infrastructures in two data centers in Switzerland, all of which obtain their electricity from hydropower. Compared to conventional electricity, hydropower saves 64% ofCO2 emissions.
DSwiss has deliberately chosen an office location in Zurich with excellent public transport links, so that every employee has the option of avoiding commuting by car.
Our offices in Zurich and Roveredo (Graubünden) account for a good quarter of our electricity consumption. To keepCO2 emissions low, we have been sourcing our electricity from 100% certified green electricity since 2022.
Instead of our own company cars, we use the Mobility Cooperative's car-sharing service for our business trips to the data centers and drive in a climate-neutral manner thanks to the voluntary "Cause we care" offer.
How DSwiss actively contributes to climate protection
DSwiss AG's financial support for climate protection projects run by the MyClimate Foundation is linked to the amount ofCO2 emissions generated by its business activities. The climate protection projects reduce or eliminateCO2 emissions from the atmosphere systematically, measurably and sustainably. Myclimate uses eleven different technologies for climate protection: sustainable waste management, biogas and biomass as substitutes, efficient stoves in third world households, better energy efficiency, provision of solar, hydropower and wind technologies, water (purification & conservation), sustainable land use and forests.
In addition to reducing theCO2 content in the atmosphere, the climate protection projects of the Myclimate Foundation pursue various sustainability goals of the UN (also known as Sustainable Development Goals or Agenda 2030). The goals include combating poverty, famine, access to health infrastructure, gender equality and many more.
A selection of the climate protection projects supported
Biogas replaces firewood and artificial fertilizer in India
MyClimate is building small biogas plants for 9,000 families in India. On the one hand, the biogas replaces the burning of wood for cooking. On the other hand, organic fertilizer is produced, which reduces the use of artificial fertilizers. By eliminating firewood, 6.5 tons ofCO2 are avoided per biogas plant per year and 3.7 tons of wood are spared. Soot is no longer produced in the houses, which is particularly good for the health of the women cooking. And the air quality in the surrounding area has improved, benefiting 50,000 people since the project began.
Compost avoids methane emissions in Bali
The climate protection project in Bali composts organic waste that would otherwise have been disposed of in a landfill and would have released methane during the decomposition process. 85% of the waste in the region consists of organic material and can be composted aerobically so that no methane emissions are produced. By 2022, the project had collected over 125,000 tons of organic waste and produced 16,000 tons of compost, replacing the use of artificial fertilizers. Almost 80,000 tons ofCO2 have been avoided by the project so far. To put this into perspective: this corresponds to around 1,100 times the amount ofCO2 emitted by DSwiss in 2021.
Solar energy replaces kerosene lamps in Tanzania
In Tanzania, many people live without reliable sources of electricity and use kerosene lamps, which provide little light, are expensive and can cause burns and respiratory and eye diseases. This project promotes a business model centered on Solar Home Systems (SHS), which are sold to households in Africa and each contain a solar panel, a battery, a light source and a charger for cell phones. The size of the SHS is tailored to the needs of the households and can be financed via microloans in order to lower the investment hurdles for customers. 107,746 households benefit from clean light and save an average of USD 134 per year per household for 167 liters of kerosene and USD 42 for charging cell phones.
Communal reforestation in Nicaragua
In this project, smallholder families from 292 communities in Nicaragua are working to reforest unused land over an area of 86 square kilometers. The more than 10 million trees planted will store over 1.5 million tons ofCO2 over the course of 15 years. In addition, the trees are part of land use planning to form important watersheds that reduce flooding in the rainy season and store water for the dry season.
DSwiss finances emission reductions amounting to 200% of the greenhouse gases emitted
For every ton ofCO2 that we have emitted through our business activities since 2021, we provide financial resources for climate protection projects that are needed to save two tons ofCO2 again. In this way, DSwiss AG also recognizes its responsibility for the greenhouse gases that DSwiss AG has emitted through its business activities since its founding in 2006.
Myclimate confirms: DSwiss actively contributes to climate protection
With the "Myclimate neutral company" label, the Myclimate Foundation recognizes DSwiss' contribution to active climate protection. Active climate protection is expressed in the financial support of Myclimate climate protection projects, through which proportionately moreCO2 is saved than DSwiss AG emits through its business activities.
