Amazon has announced that 100 new companies have signed up to The Climate Pledge, an initiative that aims to get more businesses to become net-zero so they can achieve the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Some of the big names joining at this time include the enterprise software company, SAP; the world’s largest container company, Maersk; connected car and audio services firm, HARMAN; and the largest residential solar company in the U.S., Sunrun.
Discussing the new entrants, Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, said:
“The effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent in our surroundings and daily lives, and we firmly believe that the private sector must continue to innovate and collaborate across regions and industries in order to decarbonize the global economy at scale. It’s an encouraging sign that more than 300 businesses have now signed The Climate Pledge, which commits them to confronting climate change head-on by incorporating real business changes that will make a lasting impact on our planet. We can only do it together.”
By signing up to The Climate Pledge, not only are these companies trying to reach the Paris Agreement deadline of being net-zero by 2050 but they’re trying to be net-zero by 2040 – a whole decade ahead of schedule. As part of the pledge, signatories agree to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions regularly, implement decarbonisation measures, and neutralise the rest of their emissions through “quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets”.
Aside from SAP, The Climate Pledge has already succeeded in attracting other big tech firms. The list to date includes IBM and Microsoft among others. As major contributors to climate change, it’s good to see big businesses getting on board to meet climate targets well in advance of the deadline.