Dubai, UAE, 17 August 2021: AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, announced that it has committed to setting 1.5°C-aligned emission reduction targets across all three Scopes as part of joining the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. The announcement was made during a meeting at AVEVA’s London office attended by Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The move affirms AVEVA’s commitment to set both short and long-term targets that are in line with the most ambitious aims of the Paris Climate Agreement and reflects a science-based approach to climate action.
“As outlined by the global scientific community in last week’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the window we have to take action on climate is closing fast”, said Peter Herweck, AVEVA CEO, at the meeting. “We have joined Business Ambition for 1.5°C because we are deeply committed to being part of the solution to the climate crisis, both through the industrial software that we make to support our customers on their digital journey and in the daily actions that we take to run our own business. By working together with our customers, partners, and other key stakeholders such as the UK Government, we believe we can create an inclusive net-zero economy in line with the 1.5°C pathway”.
Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng commented, “It’s great to see companies like AVEVA committing to tackling climate change and joining the Race to Zero and the Business Ambition 1.5°C campaign. As a country, eliminating our contribution to climate change by 2050 simply will not be possible without business playing its part and I urge other companies to follow suit and sign up without delay. Advanced technologies have a major role to play in cutting emissions, while at the same time boosting investment and creating new green jobs. It was fantastic to see first-hand how AVEVA is supporting its many customers across the world to transition to a clean, green way of doing business and to seize the myriad opportunities that this brings”, Secretary of State Kwarteng said.
Business Ambition for 1.5°C is a global alliance led by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in partnership with the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition. It aims to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and avoid irreversible damage to our societies, economies, and the natural world by limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Reaching that goal requires halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and hitting net-zero emissions by 2050 worldwide. Over 600 companies representing more than $13 trillion in market capitalisation have signed up to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C initiative so far. It is widely recognised as the gold standard for corporate climate action.
“Achieving the targets will not be easy”, added Herweck. “However, we are confident that through a smart combination of implementing energy reduction measures across our offices, procuring renewable energy, and engaging with our suppliers and customers on climate action, we can greatly reduce our overall emissions with minimal reliance on carbon removals. The majority of our UK facilities, including London, Cambridge, Chesterfield and Manchester, are running on clean power and we are actively working to increase our renewable energy sourcing globally”. In the US, AVEVA’s California facilities, in Lake Forest, San Leandro and Carlsbad, have already switched to a green tariff.
Beyond making changes to accelerate AVEVA’s own use of renewable energy, the company’s software solutions enable many customers across the world to decarbonise and speed up the transition to a net-zero emissions economy. By enabling energy savings, emissions monitoring and mitigation, materials efficiency, waste reduction and supply chain optimisation, AVEVA solutions support more sustainable industries.
AVEVA already contributes to a number of corporate sustainability initiatives that bring together companies to help tackle climate challenges collectively, including BSR, the UN Global Compact, and the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA). In signing on to the Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitment, AVEVA is also pleased to be joining the UNFCCC Race to Zero.
This latest climate pledge is aligned to AVEVA’s goal of showing that a 1.5°C-compliant business model is possible ahead of COP26 in November when governments and industries will strengthen their contributions to the Paris Agreement and to tackling global warming. It also reflects AVEVA’s culture of collaboration and its commitment to working with stakeholders across the value chain to help safeguard the planet for coming generations while advancing the net-zero industries of the future.
