With the help of an association, Siemens wants to make the measurement of_{CO2 footprints} much more accurate. The Estainium Association, which was presented on Monday (May 30) at the Hannover Messe, includes 14 other founding members in addition to the Munich-based company. These include international corporations such as the Japanese IT service provider NTT Data and the German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck, as well as industry giants such as TÜV Süd.

The association is one of three layers of a system designed to enable_{CO2 emissions} to be determined, certified and, under certain circumstances, offset. It operates the Estainium network, in which individual providers are active. Although Siemens is driving the establishment of the network and association, the system is open. "Everyone should be able to build their own interface," emphasizes Siemens board member Cedrik Neike.

The Munich-based company is represented with its SiGreen platform. It makes it possible to determine the_{carbon footprint} of a product, including emissions from suppliers and their suppliers. "On average, manufacturers only control around 10% of the_{carbon footprint} of their products. The rest already occurs before that, in the supply chain," says Neike. Until now, average values have usually been used when determining_{CO2 footprints} for this part. "But you want to reward the company that uses green electricity and hasn't sent its parts around the world five times," emphasizes Neike.

The association should support and further develop the network - and ensure its independence. "The whole thing will be a success if Siemens is just one provider among several," says Neike. It also involves sensitive information, as Siemens manager Gunter Beitinger explains. The solution: the information is not stored centrally but exchanged decentrally and encrypted between individual partners.

Beitinger is confident that the network will grow quickly. "We are in talks with many companies. There should be 50 to 100 participants by the end of the year. Much more in the long term."

Initially, Estainium will focus on_CO2, but other aspects are also possible in the long term. "If I think about it further, you can also measure water consumption, lead or recyclability," says Neike. However, he doesn't think it makes sense to implement all of this at once. "If you try to create a one-size-fits-all solution, you will fail."