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Reykjanesbaer increased emphasis on environmental and climate issues
The municipality Reykjanesbaer was formed by the merger of the municipalities of Keflavík, Njarðvík and Hafnir on 11 June 1994. The municipality is located on the western side of the Reykjanes peninsula. It is the fourth largest municipality in the country with a population approx. 20,380 inhabitants. At the end of 2019, the Reykjanesbær City Council approved a comprehensive ESG policy for the municipality, setting tone for the municipality's sustainability journey for the next 10 years.
Reykjanesbaer was formed by the merger of the municipalities of Keflavik, Njardvik and Hafnir on 11th June 1994. The municipality is located on the western side of the Reykjanes peninsula. The area is about 145,000 hectares. Reykjanesbaer is the fourth largest municipality in the country with a population approx. 20,380 inhabitants. The municipality is responsible for running basic services such as primary schools, street systems and more.
At the end of 2019, the Reykjanesbaer City Council approved a comprehensive policy for the municipality that takes into account the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. The policy sets the tone for the municipality's journey for the next 10 years. An eco-friendly society is one of the six policy priorities, and it is accompanied by the Global Goals on Climate Action, Sustainable Cities and Responsible Consumption and Production.
As a result, an environmental and climate policy was approved for the municipality, setting ambitious goals for environment and climate matters. Reykjanesbær has also signed a memorandum of understanding on the acceleration of the circular economy, which i.a. includes a commitment to work diligently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the municipality's operations.
Why Klappir?
When undergoing major sustainability policy changes it is imperative to have an overview of our ESG factors. Parallel to policy changes in Reykjanesbær in 2019 the Sustainability Platform was incorporated into the IT and administrative landscape of the municipality. Reykjanesbær has measured its carbon footprint through Klappir Sustainability Platform since. The purpose is to have a clear overview of carbon emissions emitted by the municipality, to be able to act and systematically reduce those emissions. So far this year (2022), increased emphasis has been placed on managing emissions even better in scope 1,2 and 3.
Results
Reykjanesbær has issued environmental statements (IS) since 2019, with the aim of placing emphasis and pressure to lower the municipality's carbon footprint. The environmental statements are based on data directly from the software and prepared by Klappir Sustainability specialists for Reykjanesbaer. This year (2022) Reykjanesbær published the first Sustainability Statement for the year 2021, involving all ESG factors, and by doing so were one of the first municipalities in Iceland to do so.
Environmental results
- Reduction in the use of fossil fuels for vehicles (scope 1), by 12%, from 25.437 liters in 2020 down to 22.529 liters in 2021.
- Recycled waste increase, (scope 3), from 60.948 to 92.950 kg, and unsorted waste went from 172.530 to 136.089 kg, recycled waste % went from 26.1% to 40.6%.
- Monitoring the effects of changing from standard bulbs in street lighting to LED. Results thus far are impressive; monitored in real time in the Klappir Sustainability Platform.
Testimonial
“The system works as a great solution for us in so many ways. It gives us easy access to detailed information regarding emissions for each of our assets, or category, as well as a great comparison for us to track our journey towards carbon neutrality. It is also very convenient to be able to monitor new assets as soon as they are put into use and compare them to other similar assets and monitor their performance from the beginning. Reykjanesbær has placed increased emphasis on environmental and climate issues, and in the spring 2022 Reykjanesbær's first sustainability report for the year 2021 was published, working according to the ESG criteria and using the environmental information from Klappir's system. We are constantly looking for ways to improve and with this system we have a great insight on our performance and can monitor closely if and how our actions are impacting our emissions.”
Anna Karen Sigurjónsdóttir, Sustainability specialist, Reykjanesbæ
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