POET
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021)
Reporting Period: 2021
Environmental Metrics
Carbon Intensity:49.4 gCO2e/MJ (average)
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Community Development
- Employee Well-being
- Ethical Conduct
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced annual energy use by 18% since 2005
- Increased per bushel biofuel yield by 8% since 2005
- Reduced annual water use per gallon by 20% since 2007
- Capture of nearly 6 million tons of CO2
- Majority of POET’s headquarters powered by a 400 kW solar farm (largest in the city)
- Waste to energy technology at Chancellor, SD facility
- Combined Heat & Power in nearly half of POET’s bioprocessing facilities, totaling 50 megawatts per year
Social Achievements
- Established POET Gives Back employee giving and philanthropy program
- Founded Seeds of Change international nonprofit
- Donated thousands of gallons of sanitizer during COVID-19 pandemic
- Created a behavior-based safety program called “Work to Live”, significantly reducing lost time accidents
- Offers competitive Total Rewards package and various employee benefits
Governance Achievements
- Established a carbon strategy team in 2021
- Supplier Code of Conduct Policy
- Commitment to complying with all applicable laws and regulations
- Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
- Anti-Discrimination Policy
- Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery policy
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Transition POET’s bioprocessing facilities to carbon neutrality by 2050
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce the carbon intensity of bioethanol by 70% compared to traditional gasoline by 2030
Environmental Challenges
- Need for state and federal policy support for carbon reduction pathways
- Significant capital investments required for carbon reduction technologies
- Indirect Land Use Change (LUC) concerns related to biofuel production
Mitigation Strategies
- Advocating for policies that support biofuels and bioproducts
- Partnering with Farmers Business Network (FBN) to incentivize sustainable farming practices
- Working with CARB and EPA to update CI models to reflect the most recent estimates of LUC
- Investing in cutting-edge technology and development of bioproducts to replace petroleum products
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct Policy
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: Paris Climate Agreement, UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Bioethanol
- Voilà corn oil
- JIVE asphalt rejuvenator
- Renewable CO2
- Dry Ice
- Purified Alcohol
- Dakota Gold animal feed
- NexPro animal feed
- ProPellet animal feed
- Wet Distillers Grain