Commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

SIG received approval for its group-wide Net-Zero science-based target from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has committed to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its value chain by 2050 – the most ambitious commitment available through the SBTi process. Of the 2,000+ companies globally with a public net-zero pledge, SIG is among the first 325 companies to have its target validated by the SBTi.
 
SIG has set a new series of near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the SBTi, committing to reach net-zero – the point at which a balance is achieved between emissions produced and emissions taken from the atmosphere – by 2050. These targets are significantly more ambitious than the company’s previous GHG reduction targets, approved by the SBTi in 2018 and 2020. The move sees SIG look beyond its own operations and commit to the decarbonization of its full value chain in line with climate science.

SIG’s new near-term 2030 commitments (using 2020 as the baseline year) include:

• 42 % absolute reduction of scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
• 100 % renewable electricity through 2030
• 51.6 % reduction of scope 3 GHG emissions per liter packed

SIG’s new long-term 2050 targets include:

• 90 % absolute reduction of scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
• 97 % reduction of scope 3 GHG emissions per liter packed

Samuel Sigrist, CEO at SIG: “The approval of our Net-Zero pathway by the SBTi is a milestone achievement that showcases our dedication to decarbonizing our operations and value chain. Our new targets are considerably bolder than our previous GHG reduction targets and have been well received by our stakeholders. Decarbonizing our business will not be an easy task, but we’re excited to speed up our journey to net-zero as one of the first 325 companies that have received SBTi approval.”

Meeting the Paris Agreement goals and limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires net-zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. The SBTi’s rigid approval process helps ensure that SIG is using a robust, clear, and scientific framework to contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change impacts.

The main ways SIG is reducing its operational emissions (scope 1 and 2) are its 100 % renewable electricity commitment and outstanding on-site solar installation program, as well as exploring low carbon energy sources to lower direct emissions.

SIG’s products play a major role in reducing emissions across the value chain (scope 3), due to the amount and types of raw materials used. Going forward, the company’s priorities are to use less aluminum foil in its aseptic carton packs, work with suppliers to reduce emissions across the supply chain, further improve energy efficiency with new filling lines, and increase collection and recycling of used packaging.

GEA Group AG announced a comprehensive climate strategy. With the corresponding climate targets, GEA is making a clear commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along its entire value chain by 2040. The company has submitted its net-zero commitment and 2030 interim targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the globally recognized, independent body for reviewing climate targets. Validation of GEA’s interim targets by SBTi is expected in the second half of 2021, confirming GEA’s targets are aligned with the latest climate science and are effectively contributing to the 1.5 degrees Celsius target of the Paris Agreement.

“GEA is taking bold action to support the global transition to a net-zero economy. Our new climate strategy positions GEA as the leader in our peer group. We are pursuing the most comprehensive and ambitious climate strategy in the mechanical engineering industry,” says Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA Group AG. “We are incorporating our entire value chain into this effort, tackling both direct and indirect emissions. And by doing so, we are taking clear action in line with GEA’s purpose: ‘engineering for a better world’.”

By investing globally in Gold Standard-certified projects to generate clean energy from wind, sun, biomass and waste gases, GEA’s own operations are already climate-neutral since the beginning of 2021. Established by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Gold Standard certifies climate protection projects that have highest possible positive climate impact. “Carbon offsets for the emissions that we cannot yet avoid is, of course, only the first step on our net-zero journey. That is why we are working to transform our business operations to effectively contribute to limiting global warming,” explains Klebert.

2030 interim targets submitted

In addition to GEA’s 2040 net-zero target, the company has submitted ambitious interim science-based targets across all relevant scopes. Compared to the baseline year 2019, GEA aims to:

• Reduce GHG emissions from its own operations (Scopes 1 and 2) by 60 percent by 2030
• Reduce GHG emissions from the customer use phase of its products (Scope 3) by 18 percent by 2030

Immediate actions to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions

To reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions, GEA is pursuing multiple initiatives. First, the company aims to gradually increase its share of renewable power to 100 percent within the next five years. To achieve this, GEA will make use of renewable energy certificates, extend its own green power generation and look into long-term power purchase agreements. Second, GEA will boost the energy efficiency of its global infrastructure with initiatives to modernize office buildings and production facilities, prioritizing the 29 most energy-intensive production sites covering 80 percent of total group wide energy consumption.

Third, over time and where feasible, GEA will green its global fleet of approximately 4,300 company cars. A green mobility policy introduced today stipulates that all new incentive cars for GEA managers in Germany will be 100 percent electric. The company will invest in wall boxes at German GEA sites to support the rollout. “We want to lead by example,” remarks CEO Klebert. “Our transition to a zero-emission fleet – starting with the cars for our management in Germany – shows we are taking clear and visible action.”

Reduction in Scope 3 emissions essential to achieving net-zero target

GEA’s innovative technologies have long played a decisive role in reducing GHG emissions in the various end customer industries it serves, foremost food, beverage and pharma. With the ever-advancing resource efficiency of its production and process technology, GEA enables customers to reach their own sustainability goals. Nevertheless, in direct comparison to GEA’s own GHG emissions, indirect emissions from suppliers and products sold – so-called Scope 3 – make up more than 95 percent of GEA’s overall GHG emissions.

The company’s climate strategy therefore focuses on identifying climate impact hotspots in GEA’s product portfolio and further boosting the energy efficiency of GEA products. GEA’s comprehensive portfolio – ranging from components and industrial machinery to complete processing lines and factories – will be thoroughly analyzed in the coming years. This level of transparency will enable the company to prioritize the climate roadmap and further develop sustainable customer solutions.

“Product innovation will be the key lever to reach our 18 percent reduction target for Scope 3 in 2030. It’s an ambitious goal, but I’m convinced we’ll achieve it; engineering excellence is GEA’s core strength,” comments Klebert. “For instance, we are already equipping customers such as smoothie-producer innocent with machinery that enables the carbon-free production of beverages. Going forward, we will employ such climate-smart solutions on an ever-increasing scale.” In addition to installing new technologies, GEA modernizes existing customer plants to reduce their climate impact as much as possible.

Sustainability as key pillar in GEA’s Factory of the Future

Optimizing our manufacturing footprint, which includes reducing the environmental impact of our sites, is another important factor for achieving GEA’s climate and sustainability goals. GEA laid the cornerstone for a new, climate-neutral production facility in Koszalin, Poland, on May 21, 2021 – a concrete example of how GEA aims to decarbonize its infrastructure. The facility will produce its own energy by integrating photovoltaic panels on the roof and storing power in batteries which can be used to power fleet vehicles. In addition, a combined heat and power (CHP) system will be used to generate electricity and heat, which can be used to heat and cool the site. LED lighting, best-in-class building insulation and low emissivity glass are all part of the factory’s climate-neutral building concept.

Journey towards a comprehensive ESG strategy

GEA’s climate strategy is the first building block of a comprehensive Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy at GEA. Beyond climate protection, this strategy will also take social and corporate governance aspects into account. It will reinforce the company’s commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and become a foundational element of ‘Mission 26’, GEA’s new corporate strategy that is currently under development. ‘Mission 26’ will be presented at GEA’s next Capital Markets Day in September 2021.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is set to accelerate the decarbonisation of its business by reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its entire value chain – including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions – by 30 % by 2030 (vs 2019)^* and setting a path to become a Net Zero business by 2040, in alignment with a 1.5˚C pathway and the Paris Climate Agreement.

CCEP will reduce GHG emissions across all five areas of its value chain – ingredients, packaging, operations, transportation and refrigeration. Crucially, there is a significant focus on reducing scope 3 emissions via a commitment to support strategic suppliers to set their own science-based carbon reduction targets and use 100 % renewable electricity.

CCEP’s immediate action plan is supported by a three-year €250m investment which will provide targeted financial support to decarbonise its business. This includes sustainable packaging initiatives, such as the progression of its 100 % rPET roadmap and investing in the scaling of depolymerisation technology, which will help accelerate the delivery of its longer-term net-zero objectives.

The ambition is underpinned by the inclusion of a GHG emissions reduction target in CCEP’s long term management incentive plan (LTIP) – 15 % of the LTIP awarded in 2020 will be based on the extent to which CCEP reduces GHG emissions over the next three years.

It builds on work undertaken over the last decade to reduce GHG emissions across CCEP’s entire value chain by 30.5 % (vs 2010) as part of This is Forward, its joint sustainability plan with Coca-Cola in Western Europe. CCEP’s 2030 GHG reduction commitment has been approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as being in line with a 1.5˚C reduction pathway as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

As part of its journey to Net Zero, CCEP will invest in projects which remove carbon from the atmosphere or verified carbon offset projects. However it will focus on reducing emissions as far as possible and will only offset where essential and where it can’t reduce emissions any further.

^{*This includes a commitment to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 47 % and Scope 3 emissions 29 % by 2030 from a 2019 base year.}

The company announces commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its own operations by 2030, with the ambition to achieve net zero GHG emissions for the entire value chain by 2050

Tetra Pak reconfirms its strategic priority in driving the sustainability transformation by setting an ambition for net zero emissions across the value chain by 2050, supporting this with an intermediate 2030 target of net zero carbon emissions across its own operations. The company will also set emissions reduction targets in line with 1.5°C according to the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative across scopes 1, 2 and 3.

Tetra Pak was founded on the idea that a package should save more than it costs, with sustainability always at the core of how the company operates as a business. Since 1999, the company has been collecting data on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from across the organisation on an annual basis, with its GHG accounts audited by an independent third party since 2013.

Lars Holmquist, Executive Vice President Packaging Solutions and Commercial Operations at Tetra Pak, said: “We have consistently delivered on our climate goals, right from the first goal set in 2002, again in 2005 and we are on track to meet our 2020 goal. In 2017, we were the first company in the food and beverage industry to have our climate impact reduction targets approved by the SBT initiative. More recently, we joined the European Alliance for Green Recovery, the first pan-European call for mobilisation on post-crisis green investment solutions. Today, we’re once again leading the way by setting ambitious net zero emissions targets that will drive transformation right across our sector and the entire value chain. The planet’s greatest environmental challenge demands nothing less from us.”

Tetra Pak will focus on four key areas to reach net zero GHG emissions across its own operations by 2030, and to realise its 2050 ambition along the entire value chain:

• Lowering energy-related emissions through energy conservation, improvements in energy efficiency, installing on site solar photovoltaics (solar PV) and purchasing renewable energy. Since 2011, Tetra Pak has invested over €16 million in energy efficiency, preventing energy use from increasing by 23% over this period. To date the company has installed approximately 2.7 MW of solar PV (or about 8000 panels), delivering low carbon electricity whilst saving operational costs. A member of the RE100 initiative, Tetra Pak has gone from 20% use of renewable electricity in 2014 to 69% in 2019, and it is on track to achieve its 2020 target of 80%. This journey included the installation of solar panels across its operations and the purchasing of renewable certificates, with the company being one of the first to do so in countries such as Thailand and South Africa.
• Partnering with suppliers and other stakeholders along the value chain to significantly reduce carbon footprint. Tetra Pak is working with suppliers to cut upstream carbon emissions, including setting ambitious renewable energy targets and increasing the use of renewable and recycled materials, which are critical to make a low carbon circular economy possible.
• Accelerating the development of its low carbon circular packaging and equipment portfolio and working to help customers achieve their emission reduction targets. A step change in investment levels in sustainable innovation is helping the company to realise its ambition of a fully recyclable package made solely from renewable or recycled materials as well as to offer processing and packaging lines with minimal carbon footprint.
• Developing sustainable recycling value chains, via collaboration with customers, waste management companies, recyclers, municipalities, industry associations and equipment suppliers. Tetra Pak’s vision is that all beverage cartons can be collected for recycling, and zero beverage cartons become litter or are sent to landfill.

Lars Holmquist concluded: “Ten years ago we set a climate goal to cap our 2020 impact across the value chain at 2010 levels, while growing the business. This helped us save 12 million tonnes of GHG emissions to date. We believe that our ability to set and demonstrate progress in line with science and societal expectations, our innovation drive and the collaborative approach across the value chain put us all on the right path to achieve our new ambition.”