Vestas to become carbon-neutral by 2030
News release from Vestas Wind Systems A/S
Aarhus, 6 January 2020
For Vestas, the reality of the climate crisis is at the centre of our business. In more than 40 years of pioneering and leading the wind energy industry, Vestas has worked with customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by driving the transition to replace carbon-based energy generation with renewable energy. Now, Vestas is excited to announce it will be a carbon-neutral company by no later than 2030 – the first of many initiatives to increase our sustainability performance.
To become carbon-neutral we will reduce our global carbon footprint through a 55 percent CO2 reduction by 2025, reaching 100 percent by 2030. As Vestas is committed to leading the transition to a world entirely powered by sustainable energy, we will not use carbon offsets but only deliver CO2 reductions through our own actions. Taking the first steps this year, we will be transitioning to electric vehicles for our company cars, will start replacing our global service vehicle fleet with renewable fueled vehicles and will be exploring further steps to reduce heating- and transport-related CO2 emissions from our operations. Our factories and offices have been powered by 100 percent renewable electricity since 2013.
After installing more than 108 GW of clean energy – enough wind energy to displace 167 million tonnes of CO2 every year, equivalent to burning 70 million tonnes of coal every year – Vestas’ 25,000 employees are committed to developing competitive sustainable energy solutions to meet the world’s growing electricity demand. However, Vestas’ aspiration to be the global leader in sustainable energy solutions means going beyond delivering sustainable solutions – it means making sustainability part of everything we do and taking full responsibility for the company’s environmental footprint.
Therefore, Vestas does not believe reducing CO2 emissions in our operations is enough. Vestas is also committing to reduce the CO2 emissions from our supply chain by 45 per cent per MWh generated by 2030. The measurement has been chosen because it incentivises sustainability partnerships with suppliers that both reduce CO2 emissions and allows for the continued growth of the global renewable energy sector. Vestas will therefore actively seek sustainability partnerships with our suppliers.
“At Vestas, we are proud of our shared purpose and passion to make the planet a better place and to make our work as sustainable as possible”, said Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen. “To remain at the forefront of the energy transition we must do even more than today to meet the growing sustainability expectations of our customers, partners, investors and employees. Our commitment to become carbon-neutral is the right thing to do for all of us. Together, we will not just make products that build a more sustainable planet, but we will do so in the most sustainable way possible”.
“Becoming carbon-neutral in our own operations and reducing CO2 emissions in our supply chain is the next phase of our journey to ensure a more sustainable planet for future generations – which is our purpose as a company and as individuals”, said Lisa Malmquist Ekstrand, Vestas’ Head of Sustainability. “Going beyond our promise to continue developing energy solutions that reduce CO2 emissions, we are now making sustainability part of everything we do”.
These commitments are shaped based on recommendations from the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), an initiative led by the Carbon Disclosure Project, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the WWF. It advises and assists companies in defining a pathway to future-proof growth and driving the transition to a carbon-free future. Vestas joins at least 730 other leading companies who have already committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions under the umbrella of the SBTi.
For more information, please contact:
Anders Riis, Head of Communications
Tel: +45 4181 3922
Mail: anprr@vestas.com
About Vestas
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with 108 GW of wind turbines in 80 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled 91 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 25,000 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.
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