January 28, 2023
AkzoNobel is bringing its ambitions to life by reducing the company’s carbon emissions in operations by 50 per cent by 2030 through driving continuous energy efficiency and transitioning to 100 per cent renewable electricity across all of its global sites. But in North America, the company has achieved a milestone with the use of 100 per cent renewable electricity now in place at all locations including manufacturing, offices, warehouses and research and development facilities.
“We’ve aligned our own sustainability ambitions with the Paris agreement, which aims to limit global warming and ensure that global temperature rise doesn’t exceed 1.5-deg. C above pre-industrial levels,” said Wijnand Bruinsma, AkzoNobel’s director of sustainability. “As the first paints and coatings company to also set science-based sustainability targets, we’re determined to fulfill our ambitions and this achievement in North America is another big step in the right direction.”
The transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity in North America includes manufacturing sites, offices, warehouses and research and development facilities. However, the company is looking much further than its own operations.
“As well as moving to renewable electricity and reducing our overall energy consumption, we’re also working across our value chain,” said Bruinsma. “We’re engaging with our suppliers and continue to develop sustainable solutions that help our customers reduce their own carbon footprint.”
Examples of how AkzoNobel is moving to 100 per cent renewable electricity globally include:
- Self-generated renewable electricity—we’re installing solar panels at many of our locations and continue to make steady progress
- Sourcing renewable electricity—the electricity generated by our solar panels covers only part of our total electricity consumption needs. For the remainder, we’ll continue to purchase renewable electricity with certificates of origin.
