Special chemistry company Stahl, headquartered in Waalwijk, the Netherlands, has set a new greenhouse gas emissions reduction target that is aligned with the most recent guidance provided by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
The company has submitted a steep target to the SBTi that includes a specific commitment regarding the company’s Scope 3 upstream emissions, which Stahl aims to reduce by at least 25% over the next 10 years, compared with the base year (2021). The company plans to achieve this reduction by replacing its fossil-based raw materials with lower-carbon alternatives. The target is a major step towards the objective of limiting global warming temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050, as agreed at the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.
“Aligning our GHG targets to the Paris Agreement goals is ambitious and will require continuous technology advances throughout the value chain,” said Stahl CEO Maarten Heijbroek. The company is already working closely with its upstream partners to reach the 10-year milestone and will report on its progress in its annual ESG report.
This extended commitment builds on the company’s existing targets to reduce its emission for Scopes 1 and 2, which were set shortly after the Paris Agreement in 2015. Stahl has since reduced its Scope 1 and 2 (direct) GHG emissions by more than 30%, thanks to operational efficiency gains and by decarbonising its energy supply.
Scope 3 GHG emissions cover all the additional indirect emissions that can occur in the value chain, including those associated with purchased raw materials, packaging, business travel, and transportation. Stahl’s Scope 3 emissions currently represent over 90% of its carbon footprint, but, said Stahl ESG Director Michael Costello, by setting a clear, quantifiable target to reduce these, we are providing our stakeholders with ‘the most robust and complete indication to date’ of how we will realise our climate ambitions as a company.
The Science Based Targets initiative is global body - a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature - enabling businesses to set emissions reduction targets in line with climate science. At the end of 2021, more than 2,200 companies covering over a third of the global economy’s market capitalisation were working with the SBTi.