Why long-term commitment is essential for climate action

Pina Earth x Pentadoc: Case Study

Both Pina Earth and Pentadoc are pursuing the goal of digitally and sustainably transforming the economy. To achieve this, Pentadoc takes the lead in its own sustainability strategy and invests in regional and transparent climate protection with Pina Earth. Over a period of 5 years, the company secures funding for the climate protection project 'Schlegel' to convert it into a biodiverse mixed forest.

Pentadoc is an independent business consultancy specializing in the digital transformation of companies. With over 25 years of experience from more than 500 projects and a proprietary 5D model, the consultants determine how digitization can be implemented concretely and sustainably in their clients' companies. For this purpose, 50 consultants work closely with clients nationwide to develop a suitable strategy.

The Challenge: Being a Role-Model for Customers

To be a role model for customers, Pentadoc has developed its own sustainability strategy. The consultancy first calculated its own ecological footprint, including office energy consumption, business trips, accommodations, commuting, water and wastewater use, waste generation, paper consumption, and hardware. The largest emitter turned out to be business trips. For this reason, Pentadoc began transitioning its fleet to FINN, where electric mobility is emphasized, and the CO2 emissions from combustion vehicles are offset.

"As an innovative-thinking company, we have been looking beyond the horizon since our founding in 1998, opening new pathways for our customers and employees. In the current situation, all individuals and companies must become aware of their responsibility to society, the environment, and the climate. Despite the relatively low energy consumption, Pentadoc is committed to standing up for more sustainability on various levels." - Guido Schmitz, Board Member of Pentadoc

For a comprehensive sustainability strategy, it was also important for Pentadoc to simultaneously invest in credible climate protection in Germany. The decision criteria in selecting the climate project included ensuring that the method is well-founded and the project progress can be transparently tracked.

The Solution: Long-term Engagement for Regional Climate Protection

In a 5-year engagement, Pentadoc supports Pina Earth's climate protection project 'Schlegel.' In this project, 470 hectares of spruce forest are being transformed into a biodiverse and climate-resilient mixed forest.

Picture from Pina Earth's climate project 'Schlegel'

To quantify the CO2 storage potential over 30 years, Pina Earth uses current data from the Federal Forest Inventory, climate models from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and bases the forest growth simulation on the open-source tool TreeGrOSS from the Northwest German Research Institute. All calculations are validated by the independent auditor TÜV Nord and verified with a site visit. Regular project visits and monitoring assess the success of forest transformation measures throughout the project duration. The progress is reported in Pina Earth’s forest project dashboard.

With the 5-year engagement, Pentadoc makes a significant contribution to the project. Throughout the project duration, new measures in the forest constantly arise, making long-term engagement feasible for planning and financing for the forest owners. At the same time, a longer-term commitment also brings benefits for Pentadoc: The company can secure carbon credits from the same project for multiple years.

Guido Schmitz, Board Member of Pentadoc
Guido Schmitz

"Pentadoc takes climate change responsibility very seriously; our goal is, therefore, to become more sustainable through our daily actions and beyond. Thus, making an effective climate contribution for our emissions through a transparent provider like Pina Earth was a logical consequence." - Guido Schmitz, Board Member of Pentadoc.