01 Feb 2007 - Paris, France – Twelve major corporations
taking part in WWF’s Climate Savers Programme are on course
to eliminate at least ten million tons of CO2 emissions
annually by 2010. If an additional 1,300 large companies
join them, current emission reduction targets set out in
the Kyoto Protocol could be achieved, says WWF.
“Fighting climate change can provide business opportunities
and spur innovation and jobs in all parts of the world,”
says Hans Verolme, Director of WWF’s Global Climate Change
Programme.
“The Climate Savers companies show that sustainable development
is not an academic concept but something that can be tackled
with a profit – for nature, for society, but also for the
companies themselves.”
All 12 companies have pledged to considerably reduce their
absolute carbon emissions. Most found that reducing emissions
makes business sense.
"Lafarge made its climate savers commitment to reduce
its CO2 emissions back in 2001,” says Bruno Lafont, CEO
of Lafarge, a world leader in building materials. “Since
then, we have worked hard to extend this initiative within
the cement sector and we are pleased that a number of other
major cement players have decided to commit themselves as
well."
Sony is another international company that is part of the
WWF Climate Savers Programme.
"We believe it is crucial to keep global warming below
the 2°C danger threshold,” says Serge Foucher, Executive
Vice President of Sony Europe GmbH. “We hope to prove that
joint action across the globe can actually achieve this.
Sony has committed not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
from its own facilities globally, but also to improve the
energy efficiency of its products.”
At WWF's Climate Savers conference, taking place in Paris
from 1–2 February, sportswear manufacturer Nike received
an award for having reached its CO2 reduction target.
“Participation in Climate Savers enabled us to get an early
start on an issue that has major consequences for business
and society,” says Sarah Severn, Director of Nike's Corporate
Responsibility Horizons. “We have found that constraints
can lead to tremendous innovation and despite growth in
our owned and managed operations we have become more efficient
with our energy use. Our next steps will be partnering with
suppliers to further reduce our manufacturing and logistics
climate footprint.”
A statement released the conference indicated that solutions
to climate change do exist:
“As members of the WWF Climate Savers Programme we have
gained significant experience in past years and learned
that we can reduce the climate change footprint of our companies
and remain viable as businesses at the same time.”
The conference was organized by WWF as an opportunity for
these firms to show other corporations the way forward to
reduce absolute carbon emissions. WWF continues to urges
lawmakers and corporate executives around the world to move
now and reduce absolute CO2 emissions.
END NOTES:
• The WWF Climate Savers conference is taking place as policymakers
meet in Paris (from 29 January to 1 February) for a meeting
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• World emissions in 11000 were at 22 billion tons of CO2
(Source: CAIT 4.1). The Kyoto reduction target determines
that the 35 industrialised countries named in Annex B of
the protocol need to reduce 5 per cent of global emissions
from 11000 levels. That is 1.1 billion tons of CO2. Twelve
WWF Climate Savers companies have reduced 10 million CO2
— an average of 833,333 tons per company. To achieve the
1.1 billion tons reduction on that average base, 1,320 large
companies would have to make similar efforts.
• As part of its Climate Savers Programme, WWF has agreements
with numerous cutting-edge corporations committed to innovative
emission reductions. The companies include: Johnson &
Johnson, IBM, Nike, Polaroid, Collins, Xanterra (United
States), Sagawa, Sony (Japan), Lafarge (France), Catalyst
(Canada), Tetra Pak (Sweden), and Novo Nordisk (Denmark).
Brian Thomson, Press Officer
WWF International
Martin Hiller, Communications Manager
WWF Global Climate Change Programme
