Avoiding harm and harnessing opportunities: e-waste in Ghana
To ensure that projects do no harm to the environment and leave no one in society behind, GIZ assesses its projects meticulously before they even begin. This can lead to the identification of new priority areas for projects. As has been the case in Ghana, where GIZ is working to improve the recycling of e-waste.
All GIZ projects with a commission volume of at least EUR 1 million undergo the Safeguards+Gender assessment. This is a standardised two-step process. The first step is a screening in which a checklist is used to assess the possible negative impact and potential of the project in five priority areas. In the next step, the risks identified are examined in more detail in an environmental and climate assessment, an integrated peace and conflict assessment or a gender analysis. To ensure that unintended impacts are not overlooked, project partners and potentially affected individuals in the partner country also take part in the detailed analysis. The projects themselves are responsible for the assessment of risks and potential, but they receive support from GIZ’s safeguards specialists in Germany.
Manager Kofi Addo makes his way through the hall of Mago Motors, a recycling firm in the Ghanaian capital Accra. A new batch of thermoplastic has just arrived; it was collected from a scrap yard by a company employee. All around the hall, Kofi’s employees are busy sorting, washing and shredding thermoplastic.
Old printers, computers, cables, refrigerators, mobile phones: all of these things eventually end up as e-waste, and there are huge quantities of it in Ghana. This poses a problem because there is no functioning recycling system. Thermoplastic, a commonly used plastic in electrical devices, can be found in abundance in Ghana’s scrap yards. It is difficult to recycle and therefore hard to sell. Workers in scrap yards usually burn it, which releases carbon dioxide as well as particulate matter and carcinogens into the air. This is harmful to the environment and to the health of the people living and working nearby. GIZ therefore supports companies in Ghana in recycling materials that would otherwise be burned or discarded. Four such companies, including Mago Motors, handle the difficult-to-recycle thermoplastic.
Safe, environmentally friendly and socially responsible, from start to finish
GIZ has been working with the Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 2016 to make the recycling of e-waste more environmentally friendly and better for people’s health. Since 2023, the project has been focusing more closely on thermoplastic, partly due to a comprehensive environmental and climate assessment. This assessment is part of GIZ’s Safeguards+Gender Management System and is mandatory for projects like the one in Ghana. With this system, we ensure that all of the projects we implement are sustainable and (gender) equitable. Around 300 projects undergo the standardised assessment process each year. The projects themselves check whether the measures they have planned could have a negative impact or harness additional potential with regard to the environment, climate, conflict, human rights or gender equality. This allows them to clarify before the project even begins whether there could be any unintended impacts on people or the environment, and to plan any additional measures where these are required. The project then implements these over its entire term.
Dieneke ter Huurne, Head of the Safeguards+Gender Management System Section, explains why GIZ ensures that its work is sustainable and social compatible, and how it does so.
»We are not satisfied until we have done everything to ensure that our projects are effective.«
Dieneke ter Huurne, Head of the Safeguards+Gender Management System Section
The environmental and climate assessment in Ghana identified materials that are especially harmful to the environment and health or are difficult to recycle – materials such as thermoplastic. ‘The key question is how can we prevent the improper disposal of e-waste from harming the environment?’ explains Ellen Gunsilius, a GIZ environmental expert who accompanied the project assessment. The assessment enabled the project to identify new priority areas and additional activities, such as new methods of recycling problematic materials that had not been previously addressed. ‘The burning of thermoplastic releases particularly large amounts of pollutants into the air, causing harm to people and the environment. To counteract this, the decision was made to support business models that contribute to a more sustainable value chain.’
300
projects undergo a Safeguards+Gender assessment each year.
Environmentally sound disposal and recycling of e-waste in Ghana – supporting Ghana in introducing a sustainable e-waste management system
Commissioned by
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Location
Ghana
Term
2016 to 2026
This is how the initiative to support companies that recycle thermoplastic instead of burning it was born. One example is the recycling company Mago Motors. Scrap yard workers benefit, too. Instead of burning the thermoplastic, they can sell it to these companies and are therefore no longer exposed to the pollutants released during burning. To prevent old devices from ending up on Ghanaian scrap heaps in the first place, proposals for more efficient take-back systems were also developed as part of the environmental and climate assessment.
From e-waste to imitation marble
The local context plays a vital role in project assessments. The project in Ghana, for example, works closely with EPA, refining existing government guidelines on e-waste through the measures identified in the environmental and climate assessment. At the same time, the project and EPA ensure that supported companies comply with environmental standards on a long-term basis.
To enter into partnership with GIZ, Mago Motors had to show evidence of environmental certification, for example. Kofi Addo, a manager at Mago Motors, says: ‘Through the certification process and subsequent collaboration with GIZ, we identified and resolved problems in the separation of production waste.’ As a result, the recycling process has become more environmentally friendly.
»We greatly appreciate the close cooperation with GIZ’s technical advisors. It has allowed us to progress twice as quickly as before.«
Mago Motors’ innovative recycling model was what won GIZ over. Kofi Addo explains: ‘We sort the thermoplastic by colour, wash it and shred it. Then we export the granules. Our customers use them to make plastic marble for kitchen worktops and the like.’ Besides making the granules, Mago Motors wants to make the imitation marble itself in the future, adds Kofi. The partnership with GIZ gives him the confidence that this can happen soon. ‘Through the partnership, we have already been able to buy better machines. And in the first training course, we learned to sort the thermoplastic not only by colour but by chemical components as well. This way, we can repurpose it even more effectively.’
The thermoplastic industry is now an integral part of the project in Ghana, which has been continuously evolving since 2016. Together with our partners and commissioning parties and with the help of our internal control system, we are always looking for ways to make our projects even more environmentally friendly and socially responsible and adapting them where necessary – as we have done in Ghana.
»If we want to protect the environment on a lasting basis, we have to consider the entire e-waste value chain. Specific assessments and protective measures, such as those we conduct and implement in our activities with GIZ, help us to achieve this. They ensure that measures are planned in a way that is inclusive of social and environmental concerns of vulnerable individuals and communities.«
Larry Kotoe, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana
Below you will find information about the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) sustainability standards:
Material topic 2: Protection of natural resources
GRI
UNGC
SDG
DNK
3-3
Management approach disclosures
Foundation
Conserving natural resources, including energy, water, waste and materials such as paper, is one of the top issues in our materiality matrix.
GIZ uses two different environmental management systems (one in Germany and one abroad) to take account of the specific conditions prevailing in Germany and in the countries where we operate. Both management systems are based on GIZ’s environmental mission statement. Environmental management
Environmental management system in Germany: In Germany, GIZ uses the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an extension of the ISO 14001 environmental management standard. EMAS is the world’s most exacting certification for corporate environmental management and requires companies to make continuous, annually verified improvements in their environmental performance. The overriding priority is to steadily reduce GIZ’s environmental impacts and provide evidence of this reduction. GIZ does so in an annual Climate and Environmental Report on the progress made towards achieving our environmental goals. This is presented in an Environmental Statement to the responsible Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) having already been validated by external EMAS environmental auditors.
The Chair of the GIZ Management Board acts as the company’s EMAS environmental management representative. Our Environmental Management Officer is based in GIZ’s Sustainability Office. The Officer launches and monitors all necessary steps within the company that are relevant for the EMAS system and coordinates implementation of environment-related measures laid out in the Sustainability Programme in close consultation with other units.
(NH-Governance of GIZ). Our registered offices in Bonn and Eschborn and our representation in Berlin first gained EMAS certification in 2013. Other buildings in Berlin, Bonn and Feldafing were included in the scheme over subsequent years.
Environmental management system in partner countries: To record our progress in the field of sustainability in the countries in which GIZ operates, we use the Corporate Sustainability Handprint® (CSH). The CSH provides the GIZ workforce with a uniform framework for corporate sustainability and therefore also for environmental management. GIZ has collected climate and environmental data every year in all its partner countries and country offices since 2018. While the quality of data is not yet comparable with the data for Germany, it is steadily improving.
When we record environmental data, we distinguish between an ‘environmental footprint’ and an ‘environmental handprint’. While an environmental footprint measures water consumption, for instance, and CO2 emissions, the handprint documents active contributions towards sustainability, such as using solar panels rather than generators and arranging carpools for commuters. It also covers issues like raising awareness of health issues, diversity and human rights, and ensuring sustainable procurement. GIZ encourages its teams on the ground to optimise their sustainability balance sheet.
Risk management: Under EMAS, environmentally relevant opportunities and risks are analysed at least once a year and are made an active focus. Wherever possible, objectives and measures are established in order to harness opportunities and minimise risks.
At project level, GIZ has introduced a systematic appraisal process that allows us to identify external risks and unintended adverse impacts at an early stage. We can thus plan our projects accordingly, ensuring that people and other protected resources can be shielded more effectively. The Safeguards+Gender Management System is used to ensure that the projects of all commissioning parties and clients are environmentally and socially compatible. Climate, which is one of the safeguards, investigates the impact of a project on climate change, in terms of GHG emissions, and considers the need to adapt to the consequences of climate change. The assets protected by the environmental safeguard include people; biological diversity (animals, plants, microorganisms, etc.); ecosystems and their services; soil, water and air; cultural assets and other objects; and interactions between these assets.
Objectives: What used to be the Environmental Programme has been incorporated into our new Sustainability Programme. This essentially addresses the entire GIZ workforce in Germany and in the countries where we operate, and many of its elements concern environmental protection and climate change mitigation. The environmental elements of the Sustainability Programme thus focus primarily on climate management, resource efficiency and mobility.
Measures and progress made: see specific themes
8, 9
11, 13
13
301-1
Materials used by weight or volume
Germany
Abroad
2019
2020
2021
2022
2019
2020
2021
2022
Paper consumption (sheets)
11.897.087
6.225.693
5.140.153
4.738.544
73.673.934
43.849.811
49.141.857
52.288.687
Per-capita paper consumption (sheets per staff member)
2.164
1.035
855
755
4.042
2.313
2.464
2.602
Percentage of recycled paper used
95%
100%
100%
100%
15%
16%
13%
22%
7, 8
6, 8, 12
11, 12
GRI
UNGC
SDG
DNK
3-3
Management approach
Principles
Climate change mitigation, energy and climate change adaptation are important topics in our materiality analysis in accordance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) (E1: climate change adaptation; E1: climate change mitigation and energy). A significant aspect, in addition to energy, is the issue of emissions, details of which can be found under GRI 305: Emissions 2016.
GIZ intends to reduce the energy it consumes by 20 per cent per employee in Germany and by 10 per cent outside Germany by 2025 compared with 2019. Measures such as energy efficiency analyses and energy consumption checks to identify actions will help to achieve our goals.
To promote sustainable development, GIZ also intends to make more use of renewable energy. The goal is to increase the installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) plants to 150 kWp in Germany and to 400 kWp outside Germany by 2025.
The total energy consumption and the energy mix vary widely between GIZ Germany and its operations abroad. In Germany, our energy consumption figures primarily involve electricity and heating/cooling energy. In our partner countries, fuel for company vehicles and generators accounts for a large share.
Energy consumption at GIZ’s locations in Germany mainly involves the use of heating and cooling energy and electricity. Heating and cooling energy alone accounts for just over half of consumption.
However, power supply remains precarious in many of our partner countries, making emergency generators indispensable. In Germany, generators are only used to supply emergency power during maintenance work on the power grid.
Measures
Almost all the power used at GIZ locations in Germany is green. In 2023, some 93 per cent of the electricity used was generated from renewables. The consumption of conventional electricity stems from the use of spaces shared with other tenants, such as reception areas, underground car parks and lifts in leased properties. Wherever possible, we are replacing conventional light bulbs with LEDs at all locations. We are also optimising ventilation systems to save power.
As a general rule, GIZ measures electricity consumption at all locations where GIZ staff work in its partner countries. Since most countries do not yet generate enough on-grid electricity from renewables, we cannot achieve the same percentage of green electricity supplied to our offices outside Germany as we do in Germany. However, GIZ is looking at where and how it makes economic and environmental sense to use PV systems in our locations abroad. Since the target was set, the number of country and project offices installing or planning to install PV systems has been increasing steadily. Energy efficiency measures are an important aspect: the lower the basic electricity demand, the better the chances of meeting demand in the event of power outages with appropriately dimensioned PV systems and of reducing the use of diesel generators for peak loads. This is also associated with greater energy security for GIZ locations in fragile contexts. Energy efficiency and renewable energy therefore complement each other.
New PV systems were installed at several locations in our partner countries in 2023, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico and Albania, for example.
Many locations in Germany have gradually switched to using biomethane for heating since 2021. In 2023, yet another building in Eschborn was connected to this system. Geothermal systems are used in Bonn and Eschborn and at Campus Kottenforst. In addition, new PV systems and heat pumps were installed at Campus Kottenforst in 2023. There are also plans to step up the use of renewable energy at some locations, by installing additional heat pumps and PV systems, for example. This is accompanied by energy-efficient refurbishments such as better insulation.
Mobility: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant decrease in fuel consumption for cars outside Germany since 2020. In order to keep fuel consumption low in the future, options for a company-wide vehicle pooling system are being explored. The idea is for cross-project procurement and use of vehicles to become standard practice. In Germany, we are prioritising the transition to electromobility. In 2023, two new electric minibuses were put into operation to replace older diesel-powered vehicles. As a result, over half of GIZ’s manageable fleet of 11 vehicles is now fully electric.
Progress
Progress made will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. Details of the progress made in 2022 can be found in the Integrated Company Report 2022.
302-1
Energy consumption within the organisation
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7–9
7, 8, 13
11, 12, 13
302-2
Energy consumption outside of the organisation
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7–9
7, 8, 12, 13
11, 12, 13
302-3
Energy intensity
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7–9
7, 8, 12, 13
11, 12, 13
302-4
Reduction of energy consumption
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7–9
7, 8, 12, 13
11, 12, 13
GRI
UNGC
SDG
DNK
3-3
Management approach disclosures
Principles
Climate change mitigation and adaptation are important topics in our materiality analysis in accordance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) (E1: climate change adaptation; E1: climate change mitigation and energy). A significant aspect, in addition to emissions, is the issue of energy, details of which can be found under GRI 302: Energy 2016.
Principles:
GIZ is firmly committed to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target. The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and climate action is a key concern. GIZ is helping its partners in countries of assignment to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. At the same time, we are setting ourselves goals to reduce our own carbon footprint, in line with the most rigorous science-based, transparent standards and benchmarks. For GIZ’s climate management, prevention takes priority over reduction, while offsetting of unavoidable emissions is a last resort. GIZ bases its climate management on the findings of climate research. In 2021, we were the first development cooperation company to join the global Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). GIZ is thereby pursuing ambitious emission reduction goals that are broken down into different scopes, or emission sources, in line with international standards. In addition to documenting direct and indirect emissions in Scopes 1 and 2, as far as possible GIZ also records greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur in the upstream and downstream value chain – Scope 3. GIZ can control and influence these indirect emissions only to a very limited extent.
Offsetting: The emissions that GIZ cannot avoid are offset by retiring high-quality climate certificates from projects where GHG emissions were successfully reduced. We have offset emissions in Germany since 2013 and emissions abroad since 2020. GIZ offsets all direct Scope 1 GHG emissions. It also offsets a number of easily measurable indirect GHG emissions in Scopes 2 and 3 such as those generated by energy use, air travel or commuting. For 2023, these are emissions from commuting in Germany, business trips in Germany and abroad, events in Germany, and fuel- and energy-related emissions in Germany and abroad. Other emission sources are outside GIZ’s control and can be mapped only in part using rough estimates. They are not offset.
To offset emissions, GIZ acquires certificates from climate change mitigation projects that meet not only environmental but also social sustainability criteria. They comply with the Gold Standard requirements, one of the most rigorous international quality standards, and are verified by the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). They also meet the requirements of Article 6 (4) of the Paris Agreement. You can find more information on how GIZ’s CO2 emissions are recorded and offset in the Integrated Company Report 2021 and climate and environmental data for 2022.
Objectives: Climate change mitigation is at the heart of GIZ’s Sustainability Programme 2021–2025, and reducing GHG emissions at GIZ locations worldwide is our top priority. By 2025, GIZ will reduce its emissions to such an extent that it actively contributes to implementing the Paris Agreement. GIZ has pledged to reduce its direct and indirect emissions – Scopes 1 and 2 – by 30 per cent by 2025 compared to 2019. 2019 was selected as the base year for the targets because from 2020 onwards the COVID-19 pandemic caused distortions. GIZ has committed to reducing absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, fuel- and energy-related activities, business travel and staff commuting by 10 per cent between 2019 and 2025. Again, 2019 was used as the base year for measuring progress. The data is updated annually and, if new information is available, findings from previous years are corrected.
Taking 2019 as a benchmark, GIZ intends to cut its GHG emissions resulting from air travel inside and outside Germany by 25 per cent by 2025. GHG emissions from the fuel consumption of GIZ vehicles outside Germany are also to be cut by 14 per cent in this period. In addition, GHG emissions linked to commuting in Germany are to be reduced by 35 per cent by 2025.
The Sustainability Programme 2021–2025 now shifts the focus more to the potential outside Germany. Photovoltaic systems are to be installed at many locations, for instance. This will reduce CO2 emissions, save energy costs and may reduce the amount of fuel consumed by generators during power cuts.
Measures
Scopes 1 und 2:
In 2023, GIZ continued the process of switching from natural gas to biomethane in Germany and further expanded the use of electric vehicles. Energy-efficient refurbishments were also initiated, including the installation of PV systems and heat pumps at Campus Kottenforst, for example. Measures conducted abroad in 2023 included installing 13 new PV systems on a total of 47 office roofs around the globe, procuring additional electric vehicles and organising awareness-raising events for employees on topics such as sustainable mobility and energy and resource consumption. Wherever possible, low-energy, climate-friendly air conditioning systems (‘green cooling’) were procured, although these are only available to a limited extent on markets abroad.
Scope 3:
Step by step, GIZ is improving its monitoring system, enabling it to record other key emissions more accurately and to reduce these wherever possible. However, a number of targeted measures have also contributed to cutting emissions. Wherever possible, business travel is being replaced by online meetings or reduced by grouping appointments. This approach proved successful during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, all events now meet sustainability criteria and their GHG emissions are accounted for. Measures to raise awareness among our service providers, for instance running online training courses and including standardised information on climate-friendly travel in our contract documents, may also help to reduce GHG emissions in the value chain.
Progress
The progress made will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. Details of the progress made in 2022 can be found in the Integrated Company Report 2022.
8, 9
11, 13
13
305-1
Direct GHG emissions (Scope 1)
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7-9
8, 13
13
305-2
Indirect energy-related GHG emissions (Scope 2)
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7-9
8, 13
13
305-3
Other indirect GHG emissions (Scope 3)
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7-9
8, 13
13
305-5
Reduction in GHG emissions
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7-9
8, 13
13
305-7
Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and other significant airborne emissions
The current climate and environmental data will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The figures from 2022 can be found in the climate and environmental data for 2022
7
8, 13
13
Find out more about our environmental topics here:
GIZ uses tracking technologies from various providers
This site uses third party website tracking technologies to provide and continuously improve its services and display advertisements according to users’ interests. Our cookie banner allows users to choose between three options. Until users confirm the banner, the scripts for statistics and marketing cookies will not be executed. Users agree and can withdraw or change their consent at any time with effect for the future.
Functional – Basic website functions require this cookie. It is needed and cannot be deselected.
Statistics – Tracking services for the collection of user statistics - primarily Google Analytics.
YoutTube – Cookies from third-party services that collect data on the website and merge it with your own data.
We would like to find out more about you!
Take part in our survey now and help us to further develop the integrated company report.
Fullscreen
Close
Download