The Icelandic sea-salt brand worked with the Change Climate Project to secure their Climate Neutral Certified label
REYKJAVÍK, Iceland (June 2024) –– Saltverk, the flaky-sea-salt brand from Iceland, is proud to announce that it is officially Climate Neutral Certified. Since its inception, the brand has been carbon neutral, but in 2024 it was important to Saltverk to make their climate neutrality official via a leading climate advocacy organization, the Change Climate Project.
Preservation of the planet has always been at the heart of everything Saltverk does, and the brand believes that clean and sustainable products should be available to all. Saltverk was founded in 2011 out of a passion for food, sustainability and Icelandic pride. Produced using an 18th-century method, the sea salt is hand-harvested using only two natural resources: geothermal energy and the pristine seawater of the remote Westfjords. When Saltverk began, the brand counterbalanced its emissions with carbon-offset purchases from Kolviður and the Iceland Carbon Fund.
Björn Steinar Jónsson, Saltverk’s founder, says, “Becoming Climate Neutral Certified is another step toward Saltverk being as sustainable as possible. Our original goal was to create a more sustainable flaky sea salt than what was on the market. The geothermal-energy-powered production that we use helps us to achieve that goal. This certification pushes us to think beyond geothermal energy; we have to consider our use of packaging, our transportation methods and each step of our supply chain. It encourages us to work to improve and mitigate the environmental impact of our operations.”
The process of becoming Climate Neutral Certified began with calculating Saltverk Inc.’s emissions throughout its entire process, from ingredient sourcing to packaging to travel and shipping. In 2023, Saltverk Inc’s emissions totaled 122 tCO2e, equivalent to driving 27 gas-powered cars for one year. Next, Saltverk set reduction targets with time-bound plans to reduce emissions going forward, which include energy-efficiency projects in the factory as well as shipping reductions. Lastly, Saltverk committed to contributing to global progress in reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by investing in strategic projects that reduce emissions.
Saltverk partners with SeaTrees, an organization that uses blue-carbon-sequestration projects to help reverse climate change while protecting and restoring ocean health. With every SeaTrees carbon credit purchase, Saltverk sequesters 1 ton of CO2 with Verra-certified carbon offsets from the Southern Cardamom REDD+ Project in Cambodia and plants three mangrove trees in Mida Creek, Kenya, which have the potential to sequester an additional ton of CO2 in a qualitative sense.
In addition to maintaining its alliance with SeaTrees, Saltverk is investing in the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and Akres Wind-Power Project. BEF brings together partners across all sectors of society to co-create entrepreneurial solutions that address climate challenges by restoring freshwater ecosystems and catalyzing a renewable-energy future for all. Akres is a 55-megawatt wind-power project that will connect directly to the grid and help stimulate and commercialize the use of grid-connected renewable-energy technologies and markets, providing improved energy security, air quality, local livelihoods and sustainable development within the renewable-energy industry.
Saltverk will continue to work with Kolviður and the Iceland Carbon Fund to plant trees in Iceland, as the brand has done from the start.
To learn more about Saltverk, visit Saltverk.com. You also can connect with Saltverk on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT SALTVERK
Saltverk is hand-harvested, sustainable sea salt from the remote Westfjords of Iceland. Using 100% geothermal energy and only one raw material — the pristine seawater of the region — Saltverk is one of the few entirely sustainable producers of flaky sea salt in the world. The pure flavor and ingredients set Saltverk’s salts apart. Saltverk can be found in the kitchens of some of the world’s most renowned restaurants as well as in the homes of food enthusiasts and chefs around the globe. Saltverk is currently available via Saltverk.com, Amazon.com and select brick-and-mortar retailers.
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Justina Rapala Nielsen | FORTE MARE
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