RE100 corporate partners Autodesk, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Incorporated, NIKE, Inc., Procter & Gamble, Salesforce and Starbucks are among 68 new major companies signing the American Business Act on Climate, the White House has announced.
The US companies have pledged to take action on climate change and support a strong outcome at the COP21 global climate talks in Paris this December. European-based RE100 companies with operations in the US, including DSM North America, IKEA USA, Kingspan Insulated Panels – North America and Unilever, are also taking part.
A total of 81 companies have now pledged climate action as part of the Act, representing over $3 trillion in annual revenue, a combined market capitalization of over $5 trillion, and 9 million employees across the US.
Amy Davidsen, US Executive Director of The Climate Group, said: “Acting on climate makes for a double-win: as well as delivering on carbon targets, companies can reduce risk and stabilize their energy bills. American businesses are increasingly recognizing their role in leading the world to a cleaner, more prosperous low carbon economy – and they have everything to gain by doing so.”
Building on the launch of the American Business Act on Climate Pledge announced in July, of which Goldman Sachs and Walmart were two of 13 original signatories, the companies have set goals to reduce emissions, deploy more clean energy and expand low carbon investments, in order to grow sustainable businesses that ambitiously address climate change.
Business initiative is crucial to delivering the emissions cuts countries will pledge to make at COP21. The US government has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025.
At Climate Week NYC last month, nine new US companies joined RE100. A total of 38 major businesses from around the world are now part of the campaign and have made public commitments to sourcing 100% renewable electricity – increasing global corporate demand for renewable energy.