RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – IBM is taking another step in committing to a more environmentally friendly future for the second time this week, this time joining The Climate Pledge led by Amazon.
The tech giant, which operates one of its largest corporate campuses in RTP and owns Raleigh-based Red Hat, was one of some 20 companies joining the pledge on Wednesday. Members commit to net-zero carbon emissions for 2040.
However, on Tuesday IBM said it would achive the net-zero goal by 2030.
‘A bold step:’ IBM pledges net zero greenhouse emissions by 2030
Amazon is parterned with Global Optimism on the effort. Other new memgbers include: ACCIONA, Colis Prive, Cranswick plc, Daabon, FREE NOW, Generation Investment Management, Green Britain Group, Hotelbeds, Iceland Foods, Interface, Johnson Controls, MiiR, Orsted, Prosegur Cash, Prosegur Compañia de Seguridad, Slalom, S4Capital, UPM, and Vanderlande.
“As the U.S. takes an important step forward in the fight against climate change by officially rejoining the Paris Agreement this week, I am excited to welcome 20 new companies to The Climate Pledge who want to go even faster,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, in the announcement. “Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019 to encourage companies to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early, and we’re seeing incredible momentum behind the pledge with 53 companies from 18 industries across 12 countries already joining. Together, we can use our collective scale to help decarbonize the economy and preserve Earth for future generations.”
Here’s what the group had to say about IBM and its efforts:
“IBM is committing to reach net zero by 2030 as part of its efforts to protect the planet. IBM has been committed to environmental leadership for decades, having issued its first corporate policy on environmental responsibility in 1971. The company has disclosed its environmental performance since 1990, began disclosing its CO2emissions in 1995, and has sustained a goal to reduce CO2 emissions since 2000. In 2007, IBM publicly stated its position on climate change, saying that “climate change is a serious concern that warrants meaningful action on a global basis to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases.” The company supported the Paris Agreement in 2015, and in 2017 publicly reiterated its support for the U.S. to remain a party to it. In 2019, IBM became a founding member of the Climate Leadership Council, supporting its bipartisan plan for a carbon tax with carbon dividend.”
