Ecolab's goal is to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, while Ambev is in the process of evaluating and defining a customized target that should be adjusted within two years.
São Paulo, December 16, 2019 – The multinational companies Ecolab and Ambev, associated with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), have joined the UN Global Compact's Business Ambition For 1.5ºC program. The initiative was created to mobilize companies committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to a level that contributes to limiting the increase in the average global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
Ecolab, a world leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, announced on Wednesday (11) that it will align its operations and supply chain with the UN Global Compact's Business Ambition for 1.5⁰C movement, and will adopt measures to reduce its CO2 emissions.2 Halve them by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050. The company has committed to doing its part to limit the average global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a figure considered necessary by the UN to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
Ambev Brewery is the first Brazilian company in the beverage industry to sign the global commitment. The signing was formalized on Wednesday (27), at an event in São Paulo (SP), by Jean Jereissati, current General Director of Operations at Ambev Brewery. By joining the campaign, the company will be evaluated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which will measure the impacts of its current production and set a personalized target to contain the increase in the Earth's temperature. The deadline for adapting to the new model is two years.
O Business Ambition for 1.5°C It is a program of the UN Global Compact, comprised of a group of 9,500 companies that have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5°C per year.
Joining the new pact reinforces the initiatives that Ambev has been conducting in recent years to minimize the impact of its business on its value chain. “We know that climate issues are urgent and that our role is to be part of the solution. In 2018, we set socio-environmental goals for 2025, and reducing CO2 levels was already in our plans. Now, we have another reason to advance on this journey,” says Rodrigo Figueiredo, Vice President of Sustainability at Ambev Brewery.
“Climate change demands urgent action, and it is crucial that we accelerate our efforts to mitigate its impacts,” said Douglas M. Baker Jr., President and Global CEO of Ecolab. “We don’t yet have all the answers on how to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, but companies need to focus their efforts in that direction. That’s why Ecolab is committing to the 1.5°C target,” the executive explained.
From now on, Ecolab:
- It will begin transitioning its energy matrix to utilize 100% of renewable energy in all its operations;
- It will expand energy efficiency projects in its units, offices and operations worldwide;
- It will begin using electric power in its fleet of vehicles in locations where this technology is already available;
- It will work together with its suppliers and partners to adopt equally ambitious climate goals.
In addition to its own operational efforts, Ecolab is helping companies around the world become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Water scarcity is exacerbated by climate change, and in 2018, Ecolab helped... your customers to save more than 712 billion liters of water. Water use also consumes a considerable amount of energy, and this water saving helped save 19 trillion BTUs of energy and prevent the emission of 1.1 million tons of greenhouse gases.
“Water is the missing link in the climate debate,” emphasizes Orson Ledezma, vice president and general manager of Ecolab in Brazil. “If the global economy were already aware of the gains from sustainable management. "With less water, we would be closer to a more climate-resilient world and, consequently, to a significant reduction in carbon emissions.".
In its 2018 Business Ambition for 1.5°C report, the United Nations Intergovernmental Commission on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that, based on the best available scientific research, a global temperature increase of 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels is no longer considered safe. To avoid the worst consequences of climate change, global warming must be limited to 1.5°C (2.7°F) or less, the IPCC stated.
