Monday 23 November 2020
Henkel targets net zero emissions by 2040 under Amazon’s Climate Pledge
German chemical and consumer goods company Henkel has joined Amazon's Climate Pledge, setting a target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The Climate Pledge is an international cross-industry commitment co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019 and aims to unite leading global businesses in a forward-thinking and ambitious commitment to climate change.
Henkel is the 12th company to join the Pledge, agreeing to a number of actions that includes measuring and reporting emissions on a regular basis and neutralising any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, permanent and socially-beneficial offsets.
In addition, it has agreed to implement decarbonisation strategies in line with the Paris agreement through real business changes and innovations, including energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions and other carbon eliminating strategies.
Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel said: “Climate change is a global challenge, which requires our collective action. At Henkel, we want to make a positive contribution to protecting the climate. Based on our achievements to date and in line with our ambitions for the coming years, we are very pleased to join and support the Climate Pledge.
“Together with Amazon, Global Optimism and the other signatories, we are fully committed to drive tangible progress and jointly take action to limit global warming.”
Henkel is focusing on close collaboration along the value chain and has been working with Amazon to promote sustainable innovation, for example, to enhance customer experience through new and sustainable packaging.
Christiana Figueres, the UN's former climate change chief, now founding partner of Global Optimism added: “The Paris Agreement set out a unifying roadmap for all countries, all companies and all people to address the climate crisis by taking actions to ensure we do not exceed 1.5C in global warming.
“By joining The Climate Pledge, these companies are demonstrating both their ambitions for the future and for recovery now. Their actions and investments are creating sorely needed jobs, spurring innovation, regenerating the natural environment and helping their consumers to buy more sustainable products. The growing collective of companies joining The Climate Pledge, acting in accordance with science, is cause for optimism.”
