Industrial agriculture is vital for sustaining life and is critical to the system. However, food production is responsible for 33% of global greenhouse gases, with fertilizer production and application being considered the main causes. As a pioneer in sustainable, environmentally friendly mining, K+S is taking responsibility by offering CO₂-reduced potassium and magnesium fertilizers for the first time with C:LIGHT.

Potassium – the logical next step in CO₂ reduction after nitrogen

Innovative nitrogen fertilizers have been essential in reducing the CO₂ footprint of agricultural products, and potassium fertilizers have the potential to make a significant impact, especially for crops like sugar beets that require a lot of potassium. And that's precisely where our C:LIGHT products come in!

We are increasingly using electricity from renewable energy sources for heat generation in our production processes. This reduces our consumption of fossil natural gas and significantly lowers our carbon footprint.

We do not have production lines powered exclusively by renewable energy at all times. However, we have a clear goal of contributing to reduced CO₂ emissions in agriculture. To this end, we purchase certificates of origin (COO) for renewable energy. We allocate these certificates to the electricity required for producing our C:LIGHT products.

To make this visible and transparent, we use a mass balance approach. Simply put, the calculated heat requirement for C:LIGHT products is replaced by electricity. Additionally, the electricity requirement for all production steps that do not require the conversion of electricity into heat is entirely covered by COO-certified renewable energies.

We determine the individual heat and electricity requirements, as well as the resulting CO₂ emissions, for each of our products using a calculation method verified by DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH.

Currently, the heat requirement is primarily covered by natural gas. Some of the electricity is generated in our gas-fired power plants, while the rest is purchased from the public grid.

Our products are manufactured using the following energy sources:

• Diesel, especially for underground mining of cude salt,
• electricity, both underground and above ground, and
• natural gas, especially in above-ground operations, in power plants, and in drying facilities.

We operate power-to-heat (PtH) boilers* at our German sites in Werra, Neuhof-Ellers, and Zielitz to reduce our natural gas consumption and the associated CO₂ emissions. These plants use electricity to generate heat.

Currently, the total amount of heat generated is insufficient to cover the heat requirements of all products. For accounting purposes, this amount of heat is allocated to certain products, known as C:LIGHT products.

C:LIGHT products are physically and chemically identical to our other products. Due to our integrated production processes and high throughput, physical or logistical separation within the manufacturing process is not possible.

The allocation in the balance sheet makes the CO₂ savings associated with using PtH boilers visible and traceable. Specifically, the heat generated by PtH boilers using renewable energy is allocated to C:LIGHT products so that the calculated heat requirement is met by the actual PtH heat generated within the twelve months prior to delivery. Therefore, for every tonne of C:LIGHT delivered, the amount of natural gas that would have otherwise been required to provide heat in power plants and drying facilities is saved.

For C:LIGHT products, we obtain certificates of origin for the electricity used in PtH boilers and for the electricity required for other production steps. These certificates prove that the electricity comes from renewable energy sources and was generated in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

Refined products from sites without primary production—that is, without the underground mining and processing of crude salt—can also be offered as C:LIGHT products. A C:LIGHT (preliminary) product from a primary site must be used as the raw material. The electricity used at the processing site is certified as renewable energy by certificates of origin.

We are significantly contributing to the decarbonization of the potash and magnesium industries by using power-to-heat technology and renewable energy sources to generate heat. This work is truly pioneering.

Clarification of the system with sample figures:

The production of one tonne of a conventional product requires 0.4 MWh of heat and 0.2 MWh of electricity.

For C:LIGHT products, the heat requirement is generated in a power-to-heat (PtH) boiler using electricity. This replaces the natural gas consumption that would have been required for heat in conventional production.

Therefore, the total electricity consumption used to produce one tonne is 0.6 MWh/t. It consists of 0.4 MWh/t for heat generation in the PtH boiler and 0.2 MWh/t for the remainder of the production process. Certificates of origin corresponding to this electricity are obtained, certifying the use of electricity from renewable energy sources.

Reduction of up to 90% compared to conventional products

As a primary producer, K+S generates most of its emissions directly from production rather than from the use of intermediate products. Proven PtH technology reduces Scope 1 and 2 emissions (according to the GHG Protocol) by up to 90% compared to conventionally manufactured products (based on the 2020 reference year).

K+S applies internationally recognized standards to calculate its CO₂ emissions. DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH conducted a critical review of our calculation methodology based on ISO 14040 and 14044. Based on this review, the individual PCFs are aggregated at the main group level and reported using the declared unit of "kg CO2e per tonne of unpackaged product."

Read more about how we determine and calculate our product emissions here.