Management of carbon and climate change are increasingly becoming mainstream as businesses see the opportunity to drive top line growth. The Carbon Disclosure Project’s latest supply chain report reveals that more businesses in 2010 (41 percent, up from 26 percent in 2009) are training in this area, while 25 percent are providing awards to staff exceeding climate change targets.
So far, some 2,500 companies are providing data on their carbon emissions to the CDP through voluntary participation. Advances in data collection are making it easier for companies to benchmark their carbon footprints against their peers and to identify key areas for improvement. Its also providing the business world transparency, concerning environmental issues.
Much of this change has come into effect due to the shift in expectations from the general business community, who have demonstrated a growing need for action on climate change. Instead of waiting policies and legislation that would enforce environmentally-centered efficiency changes, many businesses are taking the lead on their own. The surge in commitment is putting pressure on suppliers to act, while encouraging product innovation for competitive differentiation within companies. Since most of a company’s overall emissions come from the supply chain, there is huge potential for companies to meet emissions reductions targets.
CDP is proving hugely successful in encouraging the business community’s leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, “The City of New York joins the world’s leading corporations in providing a complete, accurate accounting of its carbon emissions, the strategies it is employing to mitigate those emissions, and the results of its efforts through CDP. This partnership between the world’s major corporations and, increasingly, its cities, highlights the importance of the cooperative action needed to successfully counter climate change.”
The CDP is a nonprofit organization with the largest database of primary corporate climate change information in the world. Thousands of organizations use CDP to disclose of their greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and climate change strategies to encourage financial and policy decision-making. For in-depth reports from across the world’s major economies, visit www.cdproject.net.
