The Climate Pledge Announces 86 New Signatories, Including Procter & Gamble, HP, and Salesforce, Signaling Their Commitment to Achieving Net-Zero Carbon by 2040 or Sooner

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Today, Amazon and Global Optimism announced that more than 200 companies have now signed The Climate Pledge. The 86 new signatories joining The Climate Pledge include Procter & Gamble, HP, Salesforce, ASOS, and Nespresso. Pledge signatories in total generate over $1.8 trillion in global annual revenues and have more than 7 million employees across 26 industries in 21 countries. By achieving net-zero carbon by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement, current Climate Pledge signatories are expected to collectively mitigate 1.98 billion metric tons (BMT) of carbon emissions from a 2020 baseline. This is equivalent to 5.4% of current global annual emissions—demonstrating the collective impact The Climate Pledge is expected to have in addressing climate change and prompting more action to tackle the climate crisis.

Signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to:

• Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis.

• Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies.

• Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.

“I believe that now, more than ever, companies like Amazon have an obligation to lead the fight for our planet,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “But, solving this challenge cannot be accomplished by one company; it requires all of us to act together, and it’s one of the reasons we’re so excited to announce that more than 200 businesses have joined us in signing The Climate Pledge—a commitment to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early.”

Many of the new Pledge signatories are already making significant progress toward reducing their carbon emissions. Since 2010, Procter & Gamble has reduced its absolute emissions across global operations by 52%. The company has also increased its purchase of renewable electricity by 97% and partnered with consumers to make sustainability effortless at home with products like Tide and Ariel, which have helped reduce carbon emissions by 15 million tons through cold-water washing. Procter & Gamble recently announced an ambition to reach net-zero emissions across its operations, transportation, and supply chain, from raw material to retailer, by 2040. Nespresso, known for its coffee expertise from bean to capsule to cup, is announcing an important milestone for its climate journey: Every cup of Nespresso coffee, both at-home and professional, will be carbon neutral by 2022. ASOS announced that as part of its Carbon 2020 strategy, it has reduced its emissions every year since 2015 and cut emissions intensity by 30% in this time—the equivalent of avoiding 110,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. Earlier this year, HP released a series of bold climate commitments, including a goal of achieving net-zero emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases across the company’s entire value chain by 2040, as well as a 50% absolute reduction by 2030 compared to 2019. Additionally, Salesforce recently introduced new climate commitments that will be integrated in supply chain contracts to help suppliers reduce their carbon emissions.

“Addressing climate change effectively requires collaboration across industries and credible science-based actions,” said David S. Taylor, chairman of the board, president, and CEO of The Procter & Gamble Company. “P&G has made significant progress over the past decade and we know we must do more. The task ahead is urgent, difficult, and much bigger than any single company can solve alone. P&G is proud to join The Climate Pledge as we work together to preserve our shared home for generations to come.”

“The urgency of the climate crisis demands that we take bold action to protect our planet, and The Climate Pledge is another step in the right direction,” said Enrique Lores, president and CEO of HP Inc. “HP has committed to some of the most comprehensive and aggressive climate actions in the technology sector, and we are driving this agenda across our product and service portfolio, operational footprint, and broader value chain to maximize our impact. We have a huge opportunity to power the future growth of our business while creating a more sustainable future.”

Businesses have played a role in contributing to climate change, but deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilize increasing temperatures. This is why urgent, ambitious action by companies around the world is needed. The Climate Pledge signatories are uniquely positioned to rise to the challenge of addressing climate change and helping to create the low-carbon economy of the future.

"Climate change is the defining challenge of our time,” said Nick Beighton, ASOS CEO. “Businesses must take bold and decisive action to find solutions to the unfolding crisis, both individually and collectively, which is why ASOS is proud to stand with Amazon, Global Optimism, and the other signatories of The Climate Pledge, and to be joining the UNFCCC’s Race to Zero campaign as a result. Doing so reinforces our commitment to sustainability and means we’re joining a community that will share knowledge, ideas, and best practice to achieve this important mission."

“Now is the time for urgent action. We’re entering the decisive decade—it’s not just necessary to take actions to protect the Earth for future generations, but for the future of humanity,” said Guillaume Le Cunff, Nestlé Nespresso CEO. “I believe the private sector can be a powerful catalyst for change, if all actors act together. This is why we are a proud signatory of The Climate Pledge, a net-zero commitment in line with our carbon neutrality commitment, which will be achieved through significant decarbonization of our direct emissions and global supply chain emissions, alongside the use of high-quality in-setting and offsetting initiatives to neutralize any remaining emissions.”

“We are in a climate crisis. Salesforce believes that business is the greatest platform for change, and we consider the environment a key stakeholder. That’s why Salesforce is proud to join The Climate Pledge to accelerate and scale business climate action to drive meaningful change. Every company has an important role in the fight to save our planet," said Suzanne BiDianca, Salesforce’s chief impact officer. "We’re committed to bringing the full power of Salesforce to create a sustainable future by accelerating the world's largest businesses to net-zero; sequestering as much as 100 gigatons of carbon through conserving, restoring, and growing 1 trillion trees; and energizing the ecopreneur revolution.”

Today’s announcement responds to the findings of the latest report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which underscores the need for increased urgency in addressing the climate crisis. Unless there are immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5 degrees Celsius or even 2 degrees Celsius will be out of reach.

“The recent report released by the IPCC is the starkest warning yet that the systems supporting human life are reaching tipping points and that the window of time to act decisively is narrowing,” said Christiana Figueres, the UN’s former climate chief and now founding partner of Global Optimism. “This wake up call from science must be faced with courage and conviction. In this light, it’s encouraging that 86 more companies – some of the largest household names in the world – are now joining The Climate Pledge, committing to accelerate their actions to tackle climate change in a timely fashion, and playing their part in building a low-carbon economy. I look forward to the fruits of the leadership we will see from this collective of 200 signatories that are now part of The Climate Pledge.”

Amazon and Global Optimism welcome the new signatories that have committed to The Climate Pledge:

Information about all 201 signatories that have committed to The Climate Pledge and the actions they are taking to decarbonize their businesses is available at The Climate Pledge website, including:

ASOS

ASOS believes great fashion shouldn’t come with a compromise, be that style, price, or impact. The company has set challenging targets to reduce the impact of its products, business, and logistics, and it is always looking for new ways to drive sustainability forward. This year saw the end of ASOS’s long-term carbon emission reduction strategy, Carbon 2020. Announced in 2015, this strategy set the goal of reducing operational carbon emissions every year until 2020. The program was a success, as ASOS reduced its emissions every year and cut emissions intensity by 30% in this time. This is the equivalent of avoiding 110,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. ASOS is constantly striving to decarbonize its operations, such as by prioritizing sea, road, and rail freight, and working collaboratively with supply chain partners to advance low-carbon innovations. These efforts include using electric vehicles for delivery, the implementation of 100% renewable energy throughout ASOS’s office portfolio, and maximizing the amount of recycled packaging content. With Carbon 2020 now coming to a close, ASOS is in the process of setting even more ambitious, long-term targets to reduce its carbon footprint.

HP

Earlier this year, HP Inc. released a series of bold climate commitments. By 2040, the company’s entire value chain—from operations to products to global supply chain—will achieve net-zero emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases, including a 50% absolute reduction by 2030 compared to 2019. Overall, HP is focused on accelerating strategies intended to decouple growth from carbon emissions and resource consumption, drive innovation, and transform design and business models. These include print and computer as a service, sustainable materials, supply chain collaboration, investments in renewable electricity, and advances in product energy efficiency.

Nespresso

Known for its coffee expertise from bean to capsule to cup, Nespresso takes immense pride in prioritizing responsible and sustainable practices throughout its value chain while maintaining the strictest of quality standards in the products and services it provides its customers. Every cup of coffee has a carbon footprint, resulting from all the activities undertaken across its life cycle—from farm to end-of-life. Since 2009, Nespresso’s climate roadmap has focused on developing solutions that decrease the greenhouse gas emissions of specific activities within this life cycle. Its target has been those activities responsible for major impacts—both within and outside of its direct control. From machine energy efficiencies to renewable energy, sustainable farming practices to recycling, these efforts have led to the reduction of the carbon footprint of a Nespresso cup of coffee. In September 2020, Nespresso announced an important milestone for its climate journey: Every cup of Nespresso coffee, both at-home and professional, will be carbon neutral by 2022. This commitment builds on the company’s continuous actions in reducing emissions per cup, which has resulted in a 24% reduction compared to a 2009 life cycle assessment study. In terms of electricity, renewable sources account for 100% of the electricity used in Nespresso’s factories.

Procter & Gamble (P&G)

P&G serves 5 billion consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands. In 2007, P&G established its first goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its manufacturing facilities. P&G has expanded and accelerated these efforts to address GHG emissions across the life cycle of its products and operations. Since 2010, the company has reduced absolute emissions across global operations by 52%, increased purchase of renewable electricity by 97%, and partnered with consumers to make sustainability effortless at home with products like Tide and Ariel that have helped reduce 15 million tons of carbon through cold water washing. P&G recently announced they are accelerating progress with an ambition to reach net-zero emissions across its operations, transportation, and supply chain, from raw material to retailer, by 2040. This net-zero ambition reaffirms P&G’s priorities to reduce emissions now, with the tools available today, while innovating toward a greener future.

Salesforce

As the world’s No. 1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Salesforce believes business is the greatest platform for change, and it considers the environment a key stakeholder. From its suppliers and its customers, to its technology and its brand, Salesforce uses its biggest levers of influence as agents for change in the greatest and most high-stakes challenge ever—the climate emergency. Salesforce’s sustainability initiatives focus on the global journey to net-zero emissions, mobilizing the global effort to see an additional trillion trees on Earth, and protecting and revitalizing the world’s oceans. With Sustainability Cloud, Salesforce helps companies accelerate to the path to net-zero, get a single source of truth, and quickly take action on their carbon emissions data. As a co-founder of the global platform UpLink, Salesforce helps connect more than 10,000 ecopreneurs around the world as they develop the next generation of innovative solutions to drive sustainability. As a participant of the UN Global Compact and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Salesforce is helping lead the global movement to align business to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and build a safer, more equal, and sustainable future for all.

About The Climate Pledge

In 2019, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Now, 201 organizations have signed The Climate Pledge, sending an important signal that there will be rapid growth in demand for products and services that help reduce carbon emissions. For more information, visit www.theclimatepledge.com.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

About Global Optimism

After securing the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac formed Global Optimism to build new narratives and support campaigns and partnerships with the unabashed ‘can-do’ attitude that is now required from all of us, to bring about the transformation the Paris Agreement demands. We build partnerships and campaigns with leaders willing to invest in the choices required to meet the goal of halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, eventually reaching net zero by 2050 and forging a nature positive economy. For more information visit GlobalOptimism.com.

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