Larger organisations and companies doing their bit for the planet
We’ve heard of environmentally dedicated organisations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and Greenpeace doing their utmost for the environment, but we never tend to hear good things about big corporations doing their bit.
Illustration by Maddy Smith.
The global climate deal that took place in 2015 for the Paris Agreement brought together the majority of world leaders in a pledge to reduce global greenhouse emissions below two degrees Celsius by 2030, with countries making different goals to cut their climate pollution. The UK in particular has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030.
As global warming continues to bubble under the pretext of impending doom, it bodes the question; what are large organisations and companies doing to save the planet?
It may come as a surprise, but some big companies and organisations are making positive changes to benefit our environment.
Empire State Building. Image by Kit Suman, Unsplash.
Buildings
Some of the world’s largest, most famous buildings are incorporating sustainability into their framework. One example of this is the Empire State Building in New York, an epic skyscraper office building, which is now running entirely on wind power.
This comes after the signing of a contract between the Empire State Realty Trust, and Green Mountain Energy, a renewable energy company based in the United States. The result of this three-year deal is a 40% reduction in energy use, the emissions it saves being the equivalent of taking all New York taxis off the street for one year.
Another building that is following suit is the Shanghai Tower, in China, the second tallest building in the world and another gigantic skyscraper. 10% of the Tower’s electricity is generated by 200 wind turbines.
Gensler, a global architectural firm, has worked on several projects with the skyscraper to ensure it is sustainable. The powerful wind turbines can produce 54,000 kWh/year in renewable energy, which powers external lighting.
Tesla car charging point. Image from Torbjorn Sandbakk, Unsplash.
Technology
An awesome example of a company doing their bit for the planet is Tesla Inc. It is an American electric vehicle company dedicated to ensuring clean energy. Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world is the CEO and architect of Tesla.
Tesla are paving the way for the electric cars of the future, saying a hopeful farewell to petrol and diesel cars, which release massively harmful toxins to the environment. Due to the positives of switching to electricity, Tesla has prevented more than 3.6 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in the US alone.
Another example is Microsoft. Microsoft are turning their technological heads towards sustainability by planning to be carbon negative by 2030, meaning that they will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than adding it with their products. They have also created a supercomputer, powered with 100% sustainable energy, through an agreement with the Met Office with a big investment of £1.2 billion. This advanced computer will predict weather and climate change, hopefully helping the UK with its target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This will be up and running by Summer 2022.
Vegan options, including vegan meat substitutes are often more expensive. Image of a vegan burger from LikeMeat, Unsplash.
Food
UPSIDE foods, rebranded from its original name Memphis Meats, are a genius food company that is working to use biotechnology with animal cells to directly create the taste of meat in the food.
They grow meat from cells in bioreactors, a much more efficient and humane way to do it. There are health advantages too, as it does not contain bacterial pathogens that can pose food safety risks. But how about the extortionate prices of plant-based food in comparison to meat products?
Patagonia logo image by Malik Skydsgaard, Unsplash.
Retail
Nike certainly have their skates on (or should we say trainers) for their route to sustainability. At least 50% of their products are recycled, and they prevent 95% of waste from being chucked into landfills. They even have a specifically designed shoe, the SB Dunk sneakers, that are vegan and have been created with cruelty-free leather.
Patagonia clothing is a fantastic brand that produces sustainable, environmentally friendly products. They use 100% organic virgin cotton in their clothes, with 64% of their fabrics being made with recycled materials.
By ensuring social responsibility through how the clothes are made and who they are made by, 82% of their line is Fair Trade Certified. This means that the clothing has gone through thorough social, economic and environmental standards. They also go the extra mile by using their platform to advocate for change, by taking action on environmental issues. They are much more than just a sustainable clothing brand, it is rooted in the very heart of what they do.
IKEA is working on a “Buy Back” initiative to resell or recycle their products and is now a permanent scheme in the UK and Australia. They have pledged, along with world leaders, to be carbon positive by 2020 by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
Schneider Electric. Image from Province of British Columbia, Flickr under a creative commons license. Information found here.
Movement
A Climate Pledge, costing $10 million, has been formed by Amazon and Jeff Bezos in 2019 to tackle climate change by 2040. Despite the environmental damage that Amazon causes, this is a positive move to reduce their carbon emissions.
Schneider Electric are one of the greenest businesses on the planet. They are a Paris based technology company, with 70% of their revenue coming from sustainable solutions and are dedicated to ensuring green innovation.
Big companies and organisations can learn by example from what other places are already doing. Chief executive, Jean-Pascal Tricoire puts it eloquently;
So it’s not all doom and gloom. There are big organisations making changes and commitments for a more environmentally friendly way to live. They are a leading example of what all companies should be implementing for the greater good, and hopefully, they will follow suit.
It should not be an option anymore but a duty and a priority to place the environment at the top of their agenda with the big platform, damage and power that they have.
Thank you to Maddy Smith for her beautiful illustration. You can find more of her work on her Instagram @maddy.illustrates.
Eleanor Maslin
Eleanor is currently an MA Journalism student and a former BA English and Creative Writing student at the University of Lincoln. She enjoys writing in a variety of forms, ranging from poetry to informative articles. Eleanor is a nature lover and is passionate about sustainability and the environment. She wants to raise awareness on environmental issues and also learn more about all of nature's remarkable attributes through her writing.
You can find her on Instagram @theelongatedjournal, Twitter @el_maslin and her website.