Capgemini has joined the Science Based Targets initiative, which was developed as part of the wider COP21 proceedings to stimulate businesses in creating plans to reduce their carbon footprint. The company will aim to further reduce its carbon footprint of 48,000 tonnes across its UK operation by 20% per employee by 2020 and 40% per employee by 2030.
The Science Based Targets initiative aims to provide global companies with a set of clear, scientifically backed, targets for reducing their respective global greenhouse gas emissions in line with the wider efforts of the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature increases well below the 2°C threshold. The initiative, which was negotiated as part of COP21 conference, was developed as part of a partnership between CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), WRI (World Resources Institute), WWF (The World Wild Fund for Nature) and the UN Global Compact.
Professional services firm Capgemini recently announced that it has adopted plans to instigate the targets at the company. The targets will require the company to drop its carbon footprint per employee by 20% by 2020 and by 40% by 2030. The firm’s commitment builds on earlier efforts that have reduced its yearly carbon footprint by 21% from 2008.
Efforts initiated and implemented so far, reflecting its 2008 sustainability targets, have seen emissions fall by 21%. The firm has also begun to tackle the impact of its wider supply chain, which in some sectors creates a considerable footprint, implementing a 100% sustainability assessments of the firm’s suppliers since 2010.
As it stands, the firm’s UK operation, across buildings, transport- and data centres, emit around 48,000 tonnes of CO2e per year. The plans for further reductions will be released during 2017.
James Robey, Global Head of Corporate Sustainability at Capgemini, remarks, “As soon as we signed the Business Proposals on climate change for COP21 in November 2015, we’ve worked hard to create a bold strategy to meet our commitments. In just over a year we have firmly positioned ourselves at the forefront of our industry by announcing new and ambitious UK targets using a scientific methodology in line with COP21 to drive our reduction programme.”
Speaking on behalf of the Science Based Target initiative, Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, says that the initiative is “delighted” that Capgemini has taken the bold step to sign up to ambitious targets. He adds, “In the past year, the Science Based Target initiative has seen a growth rate of over two companies a week committing to set these targets, indicating that companies are rising to the challenges set out in the Paris Agreement at COP21. The early adopters of this growing business norm, like Capgemini in the UK, will help this movement gather momentum and make a real impact in driving the transition to the low-carbon economy.”