The Estée Lauder Companies and the Kellogg Company are among the newest members to join the RE100 campaign, committing to 100% renewable energy, in advance of Climate Week NYC 2017.
The Climate Group and CDP, which lead the RE100 campaign, which aims to support businesses wanting to implement 100% renewable energy targets, announced last week that four new companies have joined up to commit to the goal. The four companies — The Estée Lauder Companies, Kellogg Company, DBS Bank Ltd, and Clif Bar & Company — raises the total number of companies committed to RE100 to 106, representing 150 terawatt-hours worth of renewable electricity demand, which is the equivalent of enough energy to power New York State.
“By joining our campaigns, corporates like The Estée Lauder Companies, Kellogg, DBS Bank and Clif Bar are demonstrating the highest level of commitment to climate action and setting an example at Climate Week NYC,” said Helen Clarkson, the Climate Group’s Chief Executive Officer. “But they’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts — renewable power makes business sense, and corporate leadership is absolutely key to delivering on the Paris Agreement at speed.”
The Estée Lauder Companies have joined RE100 with a commitment to source 100% of its global electricity consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020 — an impressive target, considering the company reported powering its 2016 operations with 45% renewable electricity.
“As a global company and citizen, we at The Estée Lauder Companies strongly believe that we all play a part in the fight against global climate change,” said Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability, The Estée Lauder Companies. “By joining RE100, we are committing to sourcing 100% of our global electricity consumption from renewable energy technologies by 2020.”
“We look forward to partnering with RE100 as we work together to protect our planet and ensure a healthier world for generations to come.”
The Kellogg Company has joined with a goal to achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2050, in line with its commitment to reduce its direct greenhouse gas emissions by 65%. The company already boasts 20% renewable electricity through contracts with local utilities in Europe and the United States, and has set an interim target of 40% by 2020.
“As one of the first ten companies to have approved science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets in 2015, we’ve already invested in energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies,” explained Diane Holdorf, Chief Sustainability Officer, Kellogg Company. “Going 100% renewable is the obvious next step; lowering business risk, generating financial savings, and helping other companies make the switch as well.”
DBS Bank Ltd, one of the leading financial services groups in Asia, has joined RE100 with an interim commitment of transferring its Singaporean operations to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and thereafter expanding that to its global operations.
“Adding renewables to our energy mix will complement our existing energy efficiency initiatives and accelerate our journey towards becoming an environmentally responsible corporate citizen,” said Mike Power, Chief Operating Officer for Technology and Operations, DBS Bank, and co-chair of the bank’s Sustainability Council. “Joining RE100 will provide us the opportunity to collaborate with experts and other RE100 members to explore various renewable energy options available in the markets we operate in.”
Finally, American maker of organic foods and drinks Clif Bar & Company has joined RE100, already purchasing renewable electricity certificates equivalent to 100% of its total operations over the last 10 years, and is also now exploring more direct ways of sourcing renewable energy.
“For over 15 years, Clif Bar has remained strongly committed to using renewable energy and taking climate action,” said Kevin Cleary, Chief Executive Officer, Clif Bar & Company. “We source 100% green power for our operations, and promote renewables among our employees, our supply chain partners and the public. Kevin Cleary, Chief Executive Officer, Clif Bar & Company, said: “For over 15 years, Clif Bar has remained strongly committed to using renewable energy and taking climate action. We source 100% green power for our operations, and promote renewables among our employees, our supply chain partners and the public.”
He added: “Climate action simply demands our collective action, and coalitions like RE100 send a clear message that the global business community knows our future success depends on a low carbon economy and that we will use our combined influence to shift the market.”
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
