Discover How GBA Members Create Sustainable Solutions

April 22, 2022

The Global Business Alliance is comprised of a diverse coalition of members whose businesses span numerous industries. These companies are utilizing their expertise, resources and dedicated employees to fight the climate crisis by creating sustainable solutions and implementing aggressive environmental goals in the communities in which they sustainably operate. Click on the following categories to learn more about what GBA members are doing in these areas: 

 

Clean Energy Use at Facilities Including Wind and Solar Power

Anheuser-Busch

Anheuser-Busch's Environmental Sustainability Initiatives, AB's 2025 Sustainability Goals

Location: U.S. Headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri

Anheuser-Busch has a long-term commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. As part of AB’s 2025 Sustainability Goals, the brewer is purchasing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent throughout its supply chain. AB is also striving to have 100 percent of its facilities engaged in efforts to increase water efficiency and to increase water availability and quality in AB’s surrounding communities. AB is determined to address water stewardship, smart agriculture and circular packaging as a part of its sustainability goals. As part of Anheuser-Busch’s $1 billion investment in 2021, it is spending nearly $100 million on sustainability projects such as installing solar panels, water treatment and more initiatives to do its part in reducing its environmental impact. The investment will also enable Anheuser-Busch to develop sustainable innovations in its business operations.

Anheuser-Busch's Entire US Portfolio of Beer and Seltzer Brands is Now Produced Entirely from Solar and Wind Power

Location: Pecos County, Texas

The AB solar farm in Pecos County, Texas officially began operating in early June 2021, allowing the brewer to reach its goal of purchasing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 four years earlier than expected.

 

AVANGRID

AVANGRID Announces Windfarm Start Clean Energy Supply in Texas

Location: San Patricio County and Bee County, Texas

AVANGRID subsidiary Avangrid Renewables has started supplying clean energy from its Karankawa Wind Farm in South Texas. The 307.06-megawatt farm spans over 18,000 acres of land and is outfitted with 124 GE wind turbines, making it Avangrid Renewables’ largest wind farm in Texas. Karankawa supplies clean energy to companies such as Austin Energy and Nike to help them meet their sustainability goals. All of Nike’s facilities in North America are powered by renewable energy, a significant part of which comes from Avangrid’s wind farm, and Nike has committed to using 100 percent renewable energy in all its facilities worldwide by 2025. In addition, Austin Energy is aiming to use renewable sources for 65 percent of its electricity supply to consumers. Avangrid Renewables’ Karankawa Wind Farm is assisting companies in reaching their goals of using more clean energy and reducing harmful emissions and air pollutants.

 

BBVA

BBVA Achieves Carbon Neutrality Goal in 2020

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama

In 2020, BBVA announced that it is now carbon neutral in direct CO2 emissions. The company reached this goal by offsetting its carbon footprint with carbon mitigation projects, benefitting the surrounding local communities. In 2020 alone, BBVA offset 120,562 tons of CO2e worldwide through seven different projects. Renewables represent a significant portion of its energy consumption; currently, it sources 65 percent of its energy from renewables, which is substantially greater than its initial target of 48 percent. The bank was also able to cut its carbon emissions by 58 percent. BBVA’s flagship corporate buildings in the United Stateshave achieved LEED sustainable construction certification. As part of the Global Eco-efficiency Plan (PGE), BBVA will continue to work on reducing its carbon footprint and other direct environmental impacts of its operations by focusing on the following three key areas: direct impact reduction, employee awareness and carbon footprint offsetting.

 

Bosch

Bosch Reaches Climate Neutrality Across Operations in 2020

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan 

Since 2020, Bosch has been climate neutral, which refers to the energy it generates in-house and the volume it purchases for manufacturing, development and administration. Bosch determined that its 400 locations worldwide no longer leave a CO2 footprint within its activities. To achieve climate neutrality, Bosch has focused on increasing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy supply, purchasing green electricity and offsetting any unavoidable CO2 emissions with carbon credits. Now that the company has reached climate neutrality, Bosch has set a goal of reducing all indirect carbon emissions by 15 percent by 2030. Bosch will focus on purchased goods and services, business travel, and product usage and transportation to achieve this ambitious goal. Through the Bosch Climate Solutions operating unit, the company is providing assistance and insights on its experience of achieving climate neutrality with other companies.

 

BP

BP Invests $220M Into Its US Renewable Energy Sources

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Houston, Texas

The $220 million purchase of U.S. solar projects is BP’s first independent solar investment since 2017 and will expand BP’s renewables pipeline from 14 gigawatts to 23 gigawatts. The company will integrate the power produced into its expansive energy trading business. The projects are spread across 12 U.S. states, and the largest ones are in Texas and the Midwest.

 

DSM North America

DSM's Solar Field Expansion in New Jersey

Location: Belvidere, New Jersey

DSM recently doubled the size of its Belvidere, New Jersey site, tripling its total solar output. The 20.2-megawatt project is the largest net-metered solar installation in the state and the second largest on the East Coast. Comprised of over 62,000 solar panels, the field produces approximately 25,000,000 kWh annually – significantly more than the facility’s energy consumption. The excess power is sent to the power grid to provide additional energy from clean sources. This clean, renewable energy will help DSM to minimize impact on the planet and provide power for additional homes through the excess power produced.

DSM's New Solar Field in South Carolina

Location: Kingtree, South Carolina

DSM also installed a 7.61-acre solar field at its facility in Kingtree in 2018. The field produces approximately 2,000,000 kWh annually, which powers 10 percent of site electricity needs at peak production. This 1-megawatt solar field can also supply nearly 165 homes per megawatt of solar produced, resulting in an estimated savings of $120,000 from solar generation of energy. The building of this facility demonstrates DSM’s commitment to sustainability and taking care of the environment.

 

Ericsson

Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory, Video

Location: Lewisville, Texas 

Ericsson's $100 million next-generation USA 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas exemplifies the company’s commitment to sustainability. Ericsson’s goal is to become carbon neutral in all company operations by 2030, and these considerations of sustainability have been integrated into all aspects of the smart factory. It has been designed to be up to 24 percent more energy-efficient than a comparable building, with 100 percent of the power sourced from renewable energy sources and 40,000-gallon tanks to capture, treat and reuse rainwater. Ericsson is pursuing LEED Gold and LEED Zero Carbon certifications for this factory, which will make this the only Ericsson facility globally to achieve this distinction. Ericsson has joined the Science Based Targets initiative, (SBTi) setting a 1.5°C aligned SBT for Ericsson´s own activities with a goal to reduce the emissions by 35 percent in 2022. 

 

National Grid 

National Grid Renewables Launches Its MiSolar Portfolio 

Location: Clinton County and Monroe County, Michigan

National Grid Renewables’ new projects will provide 40 megawatts of solar energy to the state of Michigan. They will offset over 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year and provide $6 million in tax revenue over the first 20 years. Each project is part of a Power Purchase Agreement for the distribution of the power generated.

 

RWE Renewables 

RWE Renewables' First Ohio Wind Farm Officially Begins Commercial Operation

Location: Hardin County and Logan County, Ohio

RWE’s 250-MW onshore wind farm is powered by 75 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines and can supply energy to over 60,000 households. This is RWE’s first farm in Ohio, and its 28th operating in the United States, demonstrating RWE’s commitment to providing clean energy to the U.S.

RWE Renewables Starts Construction on Texas Wind Farm Called Blackjack Creek

Location: Bee County and Refugio County, Texas

Construction has also begun on RWE’s 240-MW wind farm in Texas. This farm will produce enough clean energy to supply power to over 72,000 homes and is expected to begin generating energy at the end of 2021. Throughout construction, the project anticipates employing over 200 workers. The construction of these additional wind farms shows RWE’s dedication to sustainability and are a crucial piece to RWE reaching its commitment to be net-zero by 2040.

 

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric Miramar Microgrid; Schneider Electric CEO on the Push to Clean Energy

Location: Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar - San Diego, California

In partnership with Kansas-based Black & Veatch, Schneider Electric designed and built a 5-megawatt microgrid in Miramar. The microgrid operates fully online and provides 100 percent capability even during power outages to more than 100 critical Marine Corps buildings. The microgrid makes MCAS Miramar significantly more energy efficient and helps the state of California reach its clean energy goals.

Schneider Electric Partners with Jersey City to Execute the City's First Energy Savings Improvement Program

Location: Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City’s partnership with Schneider Electric allows the implementation of an energy savings program that will save taxpayers $21 million in energy and operational costs over the next 20 years. The ESIP will reduce operational costs, improve energy resiliency and allow utilization of the savings for other critical projects in New Jersey. The implementation of this microgrid with Schneider Electric allows Jersey City to maintain power through outages and during emergencies while simultaneously reducing 100 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Solvay

Solar helping to power Solvay's climate commitments

Location: Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Jersey and Louisiana

Solvay One Planet - agenda to connect the dots between business and sustainability    

In the effort to reach ambitious climate targets, Solvay has significantly ramped up its adoption of renewable energy in sites across the world, and solar power plays a big role. Solvay’s leadership in solar adoption led to the Group being ranked among the top ten companies operating in the United States with the most solar capacity by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in its annual Solar Means Business report.

The top ten ranking is thanks in large part to Solvay’s 15-year agreement with a solar farm owned by Dominion Resources, Inc. in Jasper County, South Carolina. This 900-acre, 71-megawatt facility has more than 250,000 solar panels that cover an area equivalent to 500 football fields and provides enough power for 15,000 households – or 164,000 MWh a year, offsetting approximately 80,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Solvay buys all the renewable energy certificates (RECs) produced by the farm.

The Jasper solar power plant allows us to provide greener power for Solvay’s factories in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Jersey and Louisiana. 

 

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW)

Solar Power Expansion Projects US, Video 

Location: California and New Jersey 

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), one of the world’s preeminent owners and operators of flagship retail destinations, has accelerated its rollout of new solar panel installations in the United States as a way to provide clean green power to its shopping centers, tenants and the communities it serves. URW now powers seven of its U.S. shopping centers with solar energy, including at Westfield Topanga & the Village in Los Angeles, where the 2018 completion of a groundbreaking 15,000-solar-panel array boasting a total capacity of over 4 megawatts made it the largest at any retail destination in California. It can now generate enough clean, renewable energy that equates to powering 730 homes on an annual basis; additionally, the panels are projected to reduce CO2 emissions by over 4,900 metric tons in the first year alone, equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off the road.  In 2020, URW completed three new solar panel installations in Silicon Valley, San Diego and Paramus, New Jersey. This is in line with URW’s commitment to achieve a 50 percent reduction of its carbon emissions by the year 2030 globally. More than 54 percent of the company’s U.S. malls’ energy use is now emission-free due to on-site solar, purchases of RECs and green power.  

URW’s sustainability strategy now also includes mandating 100 percent of the company’s flagship centers to support local entrepreneurship, providing jobs and/or quality training certification to 1,000 young individuals in local communities, and promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.  

 

Curbing and Eliminating Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Ahold Delhaize USA

Ahold Delhaize Announces Commitment and Strategy for Carbon Emission Reduction

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

In 2020, Ahold Delhaize used a science-based approach to determine its commitment to making an absolute reduction in emissions from direct operations (scopes 1 and 2) by 50 percent from 2018 to 2030, and to reduce emissions from its value chain (scope 3) by 15 percent during the same period. Going forward, to meet this commitment, Ahold Delhaize and its brands will invest in energy efficient solutions, bolster renewable energy procurement plans, increase on site energy production, improve refrigeration solutions and work to rapidly replace hydrofluorocarbons.

 

Bimbo Bakeries 

Bimbo Bakeries USA Named 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Horsham Township, Pennsylvania

For the third consecutive year, Bimbo Bakeries USA received the 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year: Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bimbo Bakeries was recognized for its dedication to energy management strategy and leadership in the baking industry. Some of Bimbo Bakeries milestone accomplishments in 2019 include earning certification at 13 of its facilities nationwide for superior energy efficiency, reducing energy use by 2.3 percent and purchasing renewable energy for 100 percent of its electric needs in the United States – the first major baking company to do so. Bimbo Bakeries USA participated in the ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt campaign, in which over 200 employees engaged in finding energy saving opportunities, which saved over 37,000,000 kBtus.   

 

BNP Paribas

Location: U.S. Headquarters in New York, New York

BNP Paribas has joined the UN Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) and confirmed its commitment to being net zero by 2050. For the last decade, BNP Paribas has been committed to supporting its clients in their transition journey. During this time, BNP Paribas has become a recognized leader in providing sustainable finance solutions across products, services and sectors as the bank supported our clients in their transition journey. Now BNP Paribas is strengthening its commitment to supporting its clients as they accelerate their sustainable business models. The net zero by 2050 announcement is an important step in the journey with BNP's clients toward achieving their sustainability goals by employing sustainable finance and investing solutions. The NZBA commits BNP to aligning its lending and investment portfolios with transition strategies that will help the world reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by:

 

BP

BP Partners with Aria Energy to Fuel US Transportation Sector with Methane Captured from California Dairy Farms

Location: California; Novi, Michigan

Agriculture is responsible for almost 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Therefore, BP is partnering with Michigan-based Aria Energy in a project to capture methane from waste at dairy farms, and then process the methane into renewable natural gas (RNG). The RNG will then be used as fuel for the United States transportation sector, which will help lower farm waste and in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions. BP will be responsible for delivering the RNG to the transportation sector.

 

Daimler

Ambition 2039

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan

Daimler subsidiary Mercedes-Benz is committed to making its supply chain CO2 neutral and offering a new CO2 neutral car fleet in less than 20 years. Mercedes-Benz identified that the transformation to electric mobility increases the energy demand in the supply chain and the production of an all-electric vehicle is twice as CO2 intensive. Therefore, Mercedes is taking a holistic approach that considers its entire global supplier network to reduce CO2 emissions in the production phase. Together with its partners, Mercedes is implementing the Mercedes-Benz Ambition 2039. Nearly half of its approximately 2000 suppliers have signed an 'Ambition Letter of Intent' and are committed to supplying Mercedes with only CO2 neutral supplies in the future. These companies account for over half of the annual purchasing volume of Mercedes-Benz AG. The company is striving to reduce the use of primary raw materials for electric vehicles by 2030 and gradually increase the share of secondary and renewable materials in vehicles. The company’s goal is to have plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles make up over 50 percent of its car sales by 2030. Major milestones include CO2 worldwide neutral production in all of Mercedes-Benz AG’s own plants from 2022, involvement in shaping the charging infrastructure and agreeing to specific CO2 measures with suppliers.

 

Danone

Danone's Commitment to Sustainable Agriculture

Location: U.S. Headquarters in White Plains, New York

Danone North America is committed to improving stewardship of water and adopting sustainable agriculture practices. As part of the AgWater Challenge, which encourages large food and beverage companies to be conscious about their water usage, Danone has increased its commitment to sustainability. In August, the AgWater Challenge expanded its focus to include sustainable agriculture practices such as soil health and nutrient management. As part of this commitment, Danone will prioritize its efforts on land growing dairy feed and almonds and increase its goal to support soil health water outcomes on 100,000 acres. Danone, which became a B Corp in 2018, is continuing to work on the social and environmental facets of its business and has invested in regenerative farming and healthy watersheds.

 

Nestlé USA, Inc.

Nestlé USA and the Innovation Center for US Dairy Announce Nestlé Subsidiary Dairy Farm is the First to Join the US Dairy Net Zero Initiative 

Location: Modesto, California

Nestlé is the first company to join this initiative, which is part of an industry-wide effort to develop new technologies and sustainable dairy farming practices to reduce emissions. The agreement is a crucial step in Nestlé’s $10 million investment and partnership with the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative.

 

Signify

Signify's Brighter Lives, Better World Sustainability Program

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey 

Signify reached its goal of becoming carbon neutral in all its operations worldwide this year. In September 2020, Signify achieved using 100 percent renewable electricity through the purchase of two virtual power agreements, one of which is in Texas. The company has reduced its carbon footprint over the last decade by over 70 percent and has committed to reducing 70 percent of scope 1 and 2 emissions and 30 percent of scope 3 emissions by 2030 to stay on target with the goals outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement.  Signify is continuously working to increase the energy efficiency of its products and services to play its role in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. The company has been recognized as an ‘Industry Leader’ in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for three consecutive years and maintains a spot on CDP’s Climate A List for its significant efforts in achieving sustainability.

 

Sodexo

Sodexo Announces Better Tomorrow 2025 Goal to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland

As part of its effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Sodexo has adopted the Better Together 2025 goal of reducing its carbon output by 34 percent globally. This measure corresponds with the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement, limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Some practical ways that Sodexo is working to meet this goal is making changes in its supply chain, including increasing plant-based purchases, intentional management of food waste and reduction of supply-related transportation.

 

Sony Corporation of America

Road to Zero

Sony’s Road to Zero environmental plan sets the goal of achieving a zero environmental footprint throughout the life cycle of its products and business activities by 2050.  To achieve a zero environmental footprint, Sony set goals from four environmental perspectives including curbing climate change, conserving resources, controlling chemical substances and promoting biodiversity. Sony is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions not just in operations but also throughout product life cycles and Sony’s engaging its supply chain partners to share its commitment to curbing emissions. Sony is also striving to eliminate virgin materials while simultaneously promoting recycling and sourcing used products from around the world to reuse materials.

Sony Electronics Inc. was recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Sustainability Gold Award Winner for the third consecutive year. The company was recognized for its significant global recycling and sustainability initiatives and results. This award is given to leading electronics manufacturers, retailers and brand owners who show commitment to and innovations in sustainable materials management and responsible electronics recycling. Sony is also ranked number one on the Wall Street Journal’s list of the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world.

SGC Chairman, President and CEO Ken Yoshida was appointed as a member of the Council of Advisers on Climate Change, organized by the Cabinet Secretariat of the Japanese Government. The Council will meet the Prime Minister and several other Cabinet members including Ministers in charge of Finance, Environment, Climate Change, Economy, Trade and Industry, and Foreign Affairs, in preparation for Japan’s participation in the Climate Change Summit hosted by President Biden, the G7 Summit in June, and the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November, to exchange views and discuss possible climate change countermeasures to achieve the carbon neutral goal by 2050 and to realize a green society through the positive intersection of the economy and environment.

 

Tate & Lyle

Tate & Lyle's Sustainable Agriculture Program, Video

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Tate & Lyle, a leading global ingredient and solutions supplier to food, beverage and industrial markets, is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from on-site energy consumption by 30 percent and in its value chain by 15 percent by 2030. Most greenhouse gas emissions from Tate & Lyle's value chain come from the growing and harvesting of corn. In November 2018, Tate & Lyle partnered with Truterra to develop a sustainable agriculture program to connect farmers with cutting-edge technology to help them to target their conservation practices and measure their impact. The Truterra™ Insights Engine gives farmers full visibility of the impact it’s having on their farm acre-by-acre. Participating farmers are helped to embed 26 conservation practices promoted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Tate & Lyle's sustainable agriculture program is the first wide-scale application of Truterra's technology and approach. 

Following a successful pilot, in September 2019 Tate & Lyle became the first corn wet miller to support a sustainable agriculture program that represents its global, annual corn procurement volume, equal to 1.5 million acres. These acres are in the Midwest, where Tate & Lyle has sourced corn for many decades, and where much of its global production is based. By helping these farming communities to make informed conservation decisions and avoid waste, the program supports their long-term profitability by enabling them to produce and report progress on sustainably grown crops. Tate & Lyle and Truterra worked to successfully enroll 310,000 acres into its 2018 pilot within three months of launching the program, with an impressive 74 percent grower retention rate. The program was extended in September 2019 to the full 1.5 million acres. It reviewed the first set of data from 148,000 acres of Midwest corn farms, and there was a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 38 percent increase in nitrogen efficiency and six percent reduction in topsoil erosion.

 

TE Connectivity 

One Connected World, Infographic 

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Berwyn, Pennsylvania 

One Connected World is TE Connectivity's first-ever corporate responsibility/ESG strategy. After two years of working on its strategy, it debuted three strategic pillars and nine 2030 ambitions addressing its largest environmental, social and governance areas of impact. Its nine pillars include: embed sustainability in product creation, partner with direct and logistics suppliers to strengthen its supply chain sustainability, become a zero-accident workplace, meet reduction targets at 100 percent of facilities in water-scarce locations, decrease waste disposed, reduce greenhouse gasses, strengthen workplace culture, impact three million in next-generation technology education and implement a global human rights program. TE is reaching its goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 35 percent by taking responsibility for its own operations and lean manufacturing tactics.  

 

Wipro

Location: U.S. Headquarters in East Brunswick, New Jersey

On Earth Day 2021, Wipro announced its commitment to achieving Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 in line with the objective of the Paris Agreement to cap temperature rise to 1.5°C. Wipro also set an intermediate target of a 55 per cent reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 in absolute emission levels compared to its base year of 2016-17 (April-March). These targets are based on the globally accepted Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and reflect the deep decarbonization and operational changes Wipro will drive within its value chain to achieve Net-Zero within 2040.

Wipro will also defer offsets until the target year, underscoring its values-driven strategy and approach. The primary levers of decarbonization drive are:

  1. Improving the energy efficiency of facilities for a sustained reduction in energy consumption.
  2. Increasing use of renewable energy in owned facilities in India through private power purchase agreements and captive solar power.
  3. Combining behavioral, technological, and collaborative approaches that help reduce the carbon footprint of air travel, commuting and purchased goods and services.

 

New Sustainable Technologies 

ABB Inc.

ABB Commits to Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2030, and Announces It Is Joining Three Initiatives as Part of the Company’s Emissions Reduction Plan

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina

ABB is joining EV100, RE100, and EP100, all initiatives led by international non-profit The Climate Group, as part of its strategy to meet its 2030 carbon neutrality target. Its EV100 commitment means ABB will electrify its fleet of over 10,000 vehicles by 2030. The company has also committed to sourcing its energy entirely from renewable sources by 2030 as part of its RE100 commitment. Lastly, as a member of EP100, ABB will establish energy efficiency targets and energy management systems at all of its sites.

 

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Vantara's Partnership with Rainforest Connection

Location: Santa Clara and San Francisco, California

Hitachi Vantara is the digital infrastructure and solutions subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi is partnering with Rainforest Connection, which is a non-profit that tracks real-time data to stop deforestation and poaching. Together, the companies have developed a solution to predict and prevent illegal logging using eco-acoustic data. According to the Rainforest Alliance, deforestation is responsible for 10 percent of all worldwide carbon emissions, making it a large contributor to global warming. Hitachi Vantara has created a new solution to help predict illegal rainforest activity and shorten rangers' time to site. Using the company's Lumada data analytics technology, Hitachi Vantara built algorithms that create a baseline of rainforest sounds. This bio-acoustic signature simplifies and accelerates the process of identifying acoustic anomalies. This gives rangers valuable time to pre-position themselves and prevent deforestation. The solution is scheduled to rollout to the entire network of Rainforest Connection guardians, located in over 11 countries, in 2021. Hitachi Vantara also donated $250,000 to Rainforest Connection to support its mission.

 

The LEGO Group

The Lego Group Creates Recycled Plastic Brick Prototype

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut 

With the creation of this prototype, the company moves closer to meeting its goal of producing products only from sustainable material by 2030. This development follows LEGO’s announcement in 2020 of a $400 million investment into sustainability initiatives over the next three years, including investing in recycled materials for products and packaging.

 

Liberty Utilities

Liberty Utilities Partners with Nine Midwest Regional Energy Companies to Create Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Network

Location: Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan

Liberty Utilities has joined a Memorandum of Cooperation, the first of its kind, with nine other Midwestern energy companies to prioritize sustainability and clean energy initiatives by building a charging network across the Midwest. These energy companies are seeking to expand the charging network to meet the needs of current EV consumers, encourage the transition to EVs, and work to overall reduce CO2 emissions. Liberty is dedicated to providing the infrastructure needed to encourage and incentivize the transition to EVs that will create a lower carbon future. As part of this commitment, Liberty plans to install 115 additional charging stations in the region in addition to the 30 public charging ports and 38 stations at existing Liberty locations.

 

National Grid

National Grid Joins EV100 as the First Major US Utility Company

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts

By joining the global initiative EV100, National Grid has committed to transitioning its fleets to be entirely electric by 2030. This means the company will be adding charging infrastructure across the U.S. and U.K. to support the electrification of 5,784 National Grid vehicles. 

 

Siemens

Siemens USA: Together, we act on climate.

2021 Sustainability Document

Siemens is creating technologies and services that stimulate innovation and growth while increasing efficiency and reliability and reducing its carbon footprint. Siemens is committed to leading the way towards the new green economy and is taking steps to become carbon neutral, broaden America’s access to EV technology and provide zero-energy buildings and infrastructure.

Siemens has extensive electric vehicle charging capabilities and technologies to help the United States shift to electric transportation. Transitioning to 100 percent electrification of U.S. transportation will not only significantly reduce CO2 emissions and pollution, but it will also grow U.S. jobs in the manufacturing, installation, and service sectors. Siemens is helping the United States become a pioneer in electrifying transportation by manufacturing EV charging equipment in North Carolina, California,Texas, Georgia and South Carolina. The company has deployed 65,000 Charging-as-a-Service stations, making EVs more accessible.

Siemens is pioneering the next generation of automated building technologies. Siemens acquired two California-based start-ups in IoT space, Comfy and Enlighted, Inc., which are working with Siemens Digital Service Center in Austin, Texas to advance these technologies. Siemens manufactures critical building products in Buffalo Grove, Illinois and designs and develops next generation life, fire, and safety solutions in Florham Park, New Jersey.

The company is investing in the U.S. education system to ensure that schools are operating efficiently and safely. Siemens’ workforce development activities focus on decreasing the skills gap and include a Military Talent Acquisition Program. Siemens has recruited more than 4,000 service members from all four branches of the U.S. Military, with over 60 percent working in STEM disciplines.

Siemens has committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 – the first global industrial company to do so. The corporation also supports the Paris Climate Agreement and aims to encourage governments and businesses to increase investments in low-carbon alternatives to help the world fight climate change.

 

Toyota Motor North America

Toyota Introduces Three New EV Models to Continue to Make EV Market More Accessible and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Plano, Texas

Toyota Motor North America announced that in 2021 it will release three new electrified car models, further expanding the company’s leadership in the United States in alternative powertrain vehicles. These new offerings will provide customers with more affordable EV options to make the electric transition more accessible. Toyota’s goal is to have 40 percent of new vehicle sales be electric vehicles by 2025 and 70 percent by 2030. Worldwide, Toyota EVs have saved an estimated 139 million tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere and 38 million tons from the United States. This enormous achievement demonstrates Toyota’s continued dedication to sustainability, which will continue through additional affordable EV releases. The company is continuing internal research on environmental impact and has plans to purchase power from wind farms to further reduce its carbon footprint.

 

Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Volkswagen Plans to Only Offer Battery-Electric Vehicles by 2035 in Europe and the US Shortly After

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Herndon, Virginia

Volkswagen’s entire fleet and company will be carbon neutral by 2050. The company maintains a clear plan to make the switch to electric vehicles by reducing its production of internal combustion engines each consecutive year until they are phased out. VW’s sustainability plan is one of the most ambitious in the industry.

 

Waste Reduction, Clean Packaging and Zero-Landfill Status

L’Oréal

L’Oréal For the Future 2030 Sustainability Program

Location: U.S. Headquarters in New York, New York

In June 2020, L’Oréal launched its new sustainability program, L’Oréal for the Future, setting forth the latest set of ambitions for 2030. In the context of growing environmental and social challenges, L’Oréal is accelerating its transformation towards a model that respects planetary boundaries and reinforces its commitments to both sustainability and inclusion.

In transforming L’Oréal’s business to respect the planet’s limits, it has committed to addressing four major environmental issues: fighting climate change, preservation of biodiversity, sustainable water management and circular use of resources.

In order to contribute to solving the world’s challenges by supporting urgent social and environmental needs, L’Oréal is allocating €150 million to address urgent social and environmental issues including the financing of the restoration of damaged natural marine and forest ecosystems; projects linked to the circular economy; and a charitable endowment fund to help vulnerable women.

 

Philips

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Philips received a score of 90 out of 100, which is the highest that S&P Global Ratings has awarded to date. In the Environmental realm, S&P Global Ratings states that “Philips applies leading environmental standards across its value chain” and “distinguishes itself in the management of its indirect environmental impact.”

Philips has achieved its 2020 environmental targets, which include 70 percent of its sales are from green products and solutions, it has a net-zero operational carbon footprint, 90 percent of its operational waste is recycled, 100 percent of its operations are powered by renewable electricity and 100 percent of its industrial sites send zero waste to landfill. In 2021, Philips ranked number one on the Wall Street Journal’s Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World list. Sustainability is at the core of Philips’ corporate strategy and the company has spearheaded the Capital Equipment Coalition, which is a group of large equipment manufacturers applying circular economy principles to preserve and recover value across the lifecycles of their respective products. The Coalition expanded the program to North America in February 2021.

 

Sanofi

Sanofi Implements Zero Plastic Packaging for Vaccines and Is Ecodesigning All New Products

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey

Sanofi has set an ambitious goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030. The company also announced that by 2025, all new Sanofi products will be ecodesigned and by 2027, it will not use pre-formed plastic packaging for its vaccines. Furthermore, all Sanofi sites will be powered by renewable electricity sources and will maintain a carbon neutral fleet of cars by 2030. The company plans to reach these ambitious goals through its global environmental sustainability program, Planet Mobilization. 

 

Umicore

Clean Technology for a Sustainable Future

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina

As a global leader in clean mobility materials and recycling, Umicore is committed to contribute to a sustainable future. Its business model is designed to deliver positive environmental impact in parallel with economic value creation. We deliver value by developing, producing and recycling materials that fulfil its mission: materials for a better life.

Umicore is a world leader in the eco-efficient recycling and refining of precious metal-bearing materials. These materials include by-products from other non-ferrous industries, end-of-life consumer and industrial products and e-scrap. Its eco-efficient process entails maximizing both the physical recycling of materials and the revenue obtained, while minimizing the associated environmental burden and total cost. The company recovers and sells precious, special, secondary and base metals and its closed-loop business model maximizes material re-use.This ambition to address increasing global resource scarcity and achieve material efficiency is an important factor in the business strategy. Over the span of its Horizon 2020 strategy, Umicore has consistently secured over half its materials supply from non-primary sources. In 2020, 64 percent of the materials it used were from end-of-life or secondary origin, while 34 percent were of primary origin.

 

Unilever

Unilever Invests $15M for Sustainable Packing Expansion; Businesswire

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Unilever North America has announced a $15 million investment to help annually recycle an estimated 60,000 metric tons of U.S. plastic packaging waste by 2025. This amount is equivalent to over half of Unilever’s plastic footprint in North America. Unilever is also continuing to use post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic packaging, and now half of its plastic packaging used by Unilever North America is PCR plastic. Unilever’s investment will go towards Closed Loop Partners’ Leadership Fund, which helps companies expand recycling programs to keep materials in the circular economy and out of landfills. Additionally, Unilever is partnering with several CPG companies through the Circular Economy Accelerators to strategize ways brands can fund and implement needed recycling infrastructure investments in the United States.

 

Volvo Group North America

Volvo Plant in Pennsylvania Achieves Zero-Landfill Status

Location: Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

The Volvo Construction Equipment site in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania has reached zero-landfill status –the second Volvo CE location worldwide to gain this recognition. Zero-landfill status means that all waste produced by the plant is recycled, composted, or converted to electricity. In the past six years, Volvo’s site has cut its waste handling costs by over 50 percent. In 2019 alone, the Shippensburg site recycled 1,171 tons of cardboard, paper, wood, scrap metals and plastics. Volvo also works with waste service providers to develop new methods to reduce waste and cost, and waste fractions can be tracked and generated at all times. All new projects are evaluated for waste to make sure that it maintains the zero-landfill requirements.

 

Education and Sustainability

Samsung 

How Samsung is Shaping a Sustainable Future with Responsible Innovations

Location: U.S. Headquarters in Ridgefield, New Jersey

Samsung’s commitment to reducing their environmental and carbon footprint has been demonstrated through significant investments in accelerating green technology design and development, working towards a circular economy, and to help lead consumers in making socially conscious decisions. Samsung unveiled many new sustainability initiatives in 2021, including the Galaxy Upcycling program, which extends product lifecycles and reduces waste. This program now enables consumers to turn old Galaxy phones into convenient in-home devices with a simple software update. For example, consumers can repurpose a Galaxy device as a baby monitor that uses its sensors to monitor the baby’s audio and send you an alert if they cry.

Solve for Tomorrow, Video 

Samsung identified the national imperative for STEM education in the United States in order to fuel the creation of a future skilled workforce. Samsung launched its Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) contest in 2010 as a national education competition that empowers middle and high school students to understand how STEM can be applied to sustainably improve their local communities through problem-based learning and solution innovation. SFT has transformed into a multi-dimensional learning initiative that empowers its students to learn from and engage with their local community members to gain empathy and co-create sustainable solutions. In the past five years, over 100,000 community members have supported SFT by voting during the Community Choice public voting period. 

 

Sustainability Awards

 

RE100 Members

The Climate Group’s RE100 members are companies that have set ambitious targets to reach 100 percent renewable electricity. The companies must intend to be 100 percent renewable by 2050, 60 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040 at the latest. There are 50 GBA members who are also members of the RE100:

 

EV100 Members

Members of The Climate Group’s EV100 have committed to switching their vehicle fleets to be entirely electric and/or installing charging for staff or customers by 2030. 15 GBA members are in the EV100:

 

EP100 Members

Members of The Climate Group’s EP100 are committed to using energy more productively, to lower greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a clean economy. There are 9 GBA members in the EP100:

 

Carbon Neutral Status 

90 GBA members have made the remarkable commitment to become carbon neutral across their operations. Each company will make the transition by 2050 at the latest, with many setting even more ambitious dates to reach this goal. BBVA, Bosch, Phillips, QBE the Americas, Royal Bank of Canada and Signify have already achieved net carbon neutrality as of mid-2021.