Tetra Pak has become the first food packaging company to receive SBT approval to pledge a significant reduction in greenhouse emissions.
Working with the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative, Tetra Pak has pledged that by 2030 the greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations will be at least 40 per cent lower than in 2015.
The company also set a goal that by 2040, emissions will be down 58 per cent compared with a year ago.
To achieve these targets, Tetra Pak will focus on three areas:
- Driving energy efficiency, aiming to reduce energy use by a further 12 per cent;
- Purchasing electricity from renewable sources, investing in renewable energy projects and renewable electricity certificate schemes;
- Installing onsite renewable energy systems such as solar panels.
In addition, the company has committed to reduce GHG emissions across the value chain by 16 per cent per unit of revenue by 2020 from a 2010 base-year.
Cynthia Cummis at the World Resources Institute (WRI) said the SBT initiative provided a science-based methodology for companies serious about incorporating sustainability into their business practices.
"Tetra Pak is the first packaging company to complete our target review process and we're very pleased to see them join a growing number of companies that understand the benefits of transitioning towards a low-carbon economy,” she said.
SBT is a partnership between CDP, WRI, WWF and UN Global Compact that mobilises companies to set emissions reduction targets in-line with climate science.