RE100 reaches 100 members milestone
Carlsberg Group, AkzoNobel, AXA, and Burberry joined RE100 this month, taking the total number of members to 100 and the total demand for renewable electricity to 146 TWh - enough to power Poland or New York State.
In celebration of the milestone, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa congratulated the members and praised the leadership of employees at all levels. There was also recognition from Former US Vice President Al Gore.
Media coverage included Bloomberg, CNBC, and The Independent, plus the Southern Weekly in China, and key trade titles including The Grocer, Insurance Journal, and The Business of Fashion.
The Climate Group’s Head of RE100, Sam Kimmins reflected on RE100’s growth and future potential. Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group called on companies to encourage their suppliers to switch to renewable electricity, and Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP highlighted the importance of transparency and disclosure in tracking progress.
Cees ’t Hart, CEO of Carlsberg Group said RE100 was “an opportunity to share best practice, to learn from each other” and to “inspire other companies to follow us in our aim”. There were also video messages from AXA, AkzoNobel and founding member IKEA, and a blog from Tata Motors.
And the momentum continues: in the last few days Dutch biotechnology company Corbion became the 101st company to join RE100. Further announcements are expected over the coming weeks.
Philips Lighting first with renewable energy certificates in the Gulf
Philips Lighting has become the first company to purchase renewable energy certificates in the Gulf using the I-REC Standard. The energy efficiency leader will source traceable renewable electricity from a solar park in Dubai. Media coverage included CNBC and Clean Technica.
The Climate Group becomes founding member of GECCO
The Climate Group has become a founding member of the Green Electricity Consumption Cooperative Organization (GECCO), launched at the recent Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8) in Beijing, to pilot voluntary renewable electricity certificates in China. We believe the initiative will help RE100 members to transfer their Chinese operations to renewable power, also helping to deliver on the Government’s climate goals.
European clean energy package - RE100 activities
We are facilitating meetings between RE100 members and MEPs from Sweden, Latvia, Denmark and Ireland, to help bring about changes to the Clean Energy For All Europeans package that will increase corporate sourcing of renewables in Europe.
RE100 webinar: 'Overview of solar net metering policy (India)'
RE100 has held a markets and policy webinar for Gold and Silver members about the net metering policies of Indian states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The guest speaker was Deepak Krishnan, Manager, Energy Program, WRI India.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES
August 24, 2017: RE100-BRC joint webinar: 'Bringing renewables to the Southeast US' - A new inter-state transmission line will open up new procurement options in the region. Speakers from the Rocky Mountain Institute and corporate buyers will present this new initiative and let RE100 members know how to get involved.
August 30, 2017: RE100 roundtable, 'Scaling corporate renewable electricity use in India', New Delhi, India - To take place immediately ahead of this year's Business & Climate Summit, The Climate Group has invited members of RE100 to share their success stories and learnings around transitioning to 100% renewable power in India.
September 18-24, 2017: Climate Week NYC, New York, US - The Climate Group's annual flagship event will gather business and government leaders to demonstrate how continued investment in clean energy can drive innovation, jobs and prosperity. Following the Opening Ceremony on Monday 18, there will be a business focused event on Tuesday 19.
September 2017 (date tbc): RE100 peer-to-peer learning webinar with Tata Motors - Abhay Pathak, Sustainability Lead at Tata Motors Limited, will present a case study of the company's Dharwad (KA) plant in India, which achieved a 91% renewable electricity share last year.
October 10, 2017: RE100 members event, Brussels, Belgium - This will be a bespoke RE100 peer-learning event, on the first day of RE-Source 2017.
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