International brewer Carlsberg (CHP:CARL) announced a host of ambitious sustainability targets on Tuesday, driven by US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement.
Called “Together Towards ZERO”, the brewer’s plans include aiming for zero carbon emissions at its breweries by 2030 and the 100 percent use of renewable electricity at its breweries by the year 2022.
Achieving this will include closing down small coal power stations at breweries in China, India and Poland, instead using renewable energy sources such as solar panels, and halving the company’s water usage by 2030.
Carlsberg chief executive Cees t‘Hart pointed to Trump as the reason for the ambitious targets, saying “People in Carlsberg are more energised after Trump said no to the Paris agreement.”
“We feel we can take responsibility in our own hands and don’t need to depend on politicians for this. You could argue it’s a drop in the ocean, but if everybody says that we won’t make any progress.”
At the beginning of this month President Donald Trump caused controversy by withdrawing the US from the climate change commitments advanced by the Paris climate change agreement, causing several large companies to vow to commit to reducing their carbon footprint.
Carlsberg said they worked with Carbon Trust to lay out their plans, which were welcomed by Carbon Trust chief executive, Tom Delay: “Carlsberg’s ambitions go above and beyond the levels of carbon reduction that science tells us are necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius,” he said.
“Carlsberg has taken a genuine leadership position on some of the most critical environmental issues the world currently faces by developing an ambitious long-term business strategy that focuses on delivering a sustainable future,” Delay added.