As President Joe Biden unveils the USA’s commitment to cutting carbon emissions, Bureau Veritas is urging businesses to prioritise their own net zero promises and to create a clear plan to deliver on this.
Just hours after being sworn in as president on 20th January, Joe Biden demonstrated his commitment to the climate crisis by reinstating the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement. He has now gone one step further by pledging to cut carbon emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. This target, which was unveiled at a virtual summit of 40 global leaders on 23rd April, almost doubles the country’s previous promise.
The EU Parliament has also followed suit, aiming to cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels.
These announcements not only put the onus on Governments to effect change, but individuals and businesses too. Thus, Bureau Veritas, a leading sustainability authority is encouraging companies to set their own realistic carbon emissions targets, especially ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) being hosted by the UK in November.
David Murray, Business Unit Manager – Sustainability at Bureau Veritas, said: “We see a lot of businesses with ambitious plans to become net zero by 2050, in line with the UK Government’s own targets to achieve this, announced in 2019. The problem with such a grandiose target, and looking so far into the future, is that businesses really aren’t sure how they are going to achieve such a feat.
“The recent announcement from the USA and EU demonstrate the need to think more short-term when it comes to tackling the climate crisis, with realistic and achievable goals to first reduce carbon emissions, before thinking about becoming completely net zero. We do see a number of businesses taking steps towards a more sustainable future, but more still needs to be done to embed sustainability into business operations. By creating a structured plan to achieve a short-term goal, businesses will truly be able to see how they can effect change.”
According to Bureau Veritas, the immediate priority for businesses, that have not already done so, is to calculate their carbon footprint. From this, they can implement the necessary measures and initiatives to direct them towards that goal – utilising renewable energy sources, considering day to day processes and employee travel.
David continues: “Businesses that are not clear on what steps they need to take to play their part in this international effort towards tackling climate change can turn to a sustainability expert like Bureau Veritas to make assessments of their current sustainability performance and set in motion recommendations for an effective carbon reduction plan.”
Bureau Veritas has experience and technical expertise in helping some of the world’s largest organisations improve their sustainability performance in a number of sectors including food, pharmaceutical, financial and manufacturing. With a proven track record in verification of environmental, health & safety and social data, including conducting audits against the requirements of ISO 14064 Part 3, Bureau Veritas is also a GRI Community Member, an AA1000AS Licensed Provider, a UKAS accredited ISO 14064-1 Verification Body.
