The commitments set under the Paris Agreement, the realities of climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic have been catalyzers that made all industrial sectors more aware of the opportunities and necessities to embrace innovation and radically cut, store, and reuse carbon.
Though, there are still plenty of things to do. We want to show you some encouraging examples of the latest efforts to reach net-zero goals towards decarbonizing the industries by 2050, or even sooner.
Microsoft
At the start of 2021, Microsoft unveiled a bold new plan to reduce 50% of its carbon footprint by 2030. Their strategy comes with the additional promise of removing from the atmosphere all the carbon emissions that the company has emitted since it was founded in 1975. Pretty ambitious, right? So, how are they making it happen? They are developing a specific framework to target the work, starting with a $1b pot. Microsoft is also placing investments in projects that enable the collection of accurate, detailed, and comparable data recording across their supply chain. Here’s an updated status of their journey.
PepsiCo
PepsiCo pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Additionally, they plan to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across direct operations by 75% and the indirect value chain by 40% in2030. How are they doing it? By implementing large-scale sustainable agriculture and regenerative practices, increasing the deployment of recycled materials (rPET), switching plant operations to sustainable manufacturing, and shifting to renewable electricity and fuels. You can check out more details of their roadmap to net-zero here.
Unilever
Unilever unveiled a new set of sustainability commitments pleading to end its contribution to deforestation and promote regenerative emissions for products by 2039. To do so, Unilever plans to transition to renewable energy, find low-carbon ingredients, expand its plant-based product range, and develop fossil-fuel-free cleaning and laundry products. Their efforts also contemplate building partnerships with suppliers to accomplish the targets. Read more about their climate action at this link.
Apple
Apple has ambitious plans to be carbon neutral by 2030. They started ahead by building the impressive 202 MW Montague Wind Power Facility in Oregon. Yet, that is not their only endeavor. Within the next seven years, they expect to add 9 gigawatts of clean power, increase the use of recycled materials to manufacture their products, and extend their support to empower environmentalist projects in communities across the globe. Catch precise details here.
Pfizer
Pfizer expects to reach net-zero status by 2030. They aim to reduce GHG emissions, improve sustainability in R & D facilities, replace equipment with energy-efficient alternates, and switch to renewable energy. One of the largest initiatives will be Pfizer’s receipt of 310 MW of renewable energy from Vesper Energy’s 500 MW Hornet Solar project in West Texas scheduled for start-up in 2023. This will mark the beginning of 100 percent solar-powered operations in North America. Read more about Pfizer’s plans here.
These are just a few examples of the important investments and projects happening in high-profile companies. They are currently under execution to face the climate crisis and push for a green global recovery.
If you or your company are also involved with a green project to reduce climate change’s impact, share it in the comments below! It’ll mean a lot to us at Verdusco Consulting!
