Check out this report “Commitment Issues: Markers of Real Climate Action in the Fortune Global 500” from Climate Impact Partners.
It’s from 2023, but I really doubt the numbers have changed much given the general sustainability malaise right now. There’s more concern these days about whether companies are on track (hard to say, but given how much cheaper clean tech continues to be, progress will continue).
Either way, it’s still very useful to get a sense of the level of commitment across the world’s largest companies. Without goals, not much would happen. Some highlights…
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 G𝟓𝟎𝟎:
• $𝟦𝟣 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗎𝖾 (𝟣/𝟥 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗅𝗈𝖻𝖺𝗅 𝖦𝖣𝖯)
• $𝟤.𝟫 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖿𝗂𝗍𝗌 (~𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝗂𝗇𝗏𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖻𝗈𝗇𝗂𝗓𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽)
𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 G𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬
• 𝟨𝟨%: “𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗍”* 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 (𝗎𝗉 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝟧% 𝗂𝗇 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟧), 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖤𝖴 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 (𝟣𝟢𝟪 𝗈𝖿 𝟣𝟣𝟤 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗂𝖾𝗌)
• 𝟥𝟫%: 𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝗓𝖾𝗋𝗈
• 𝟥𝟧%: 𝗌𝖼𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾-𝖻𝖺𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗌
• 𝟣𝟧%: 𝖱𝖤𝟣𝟢𝟢 (𝟣𝟢𝟢% 𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗐𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾𝗌)
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬
• 𝟩𝟧% 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗎𝖺𝗅 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 [this stat will change, moving toward 100%, with new reporting requirements]
• 𝟧𝟢%+ 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍 𝗌𝖼𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝟥, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 <𝟤𝟧% 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾𝗍𝖾 𝖲𝟥 [this will also change, but depends on requirements in different geographies]
𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭:
• 𝖢𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝟤𝟢𝟥𝟢 𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝗈𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗎𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝟩% 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋, 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖨𝖭𝖢𝖱𝖤𝖠𝖲𝖤𝖣 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝖻𝗒 𝟥% (see chart)
• 𝟦𝟥% 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺 𝖢𝖲𝖮, 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗀𝗀𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 (𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗈𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗋) 𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗌
• 𝖢𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗈𝖿 $𝟣 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝖿𝗂𝗍.
𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬:
• 𝖲𝗂𝗀𝗇𝗂𝖿𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 “𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗀𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽” 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝟨𝟨% 𝗅𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗅 (see chart)
• 𝖳𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅 𝖾𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝟣.𝟧%
This last one is the gut punch. Some data indicates we’re nearing global peak emissions, but they’re still rising. High buy-in from large companies is a positive sign, but acceleration and pressure on “climate bystanders” — from customers, consumers, employees, etc. — are crucial next steps.
The report doesn’t seem to track goals beyond zero to net positive or regenerative territory, but they are not yet too common among the big guys.
Let’s hope momentum in goal setting and action picks back up again soon.
[First posted on LinkedIn]
[Image by Giovanna Orlando from Pixabay]
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