Save the climate with personal consumer decisions?

New study demystifies that idea

Created: 2022-02-08 11:31 am

By: Franziska Schwarz

The largest corporations in the world still have a certain way to go before they reach sustainability.

© IMAGO/McPHOTO/B.

Leitner

“Climate neutral” sounds good to consumers.

However, a new analysis comes to the conclusion: the favorite companies could fib with this noble goal.

Berlin - The climate protection promises of 25 of the largest companies in the world are mostly unbelievable.

In reality, the plans would reduce their emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases by an average of 40 percent rather than 100 percent.

This is the conclusion of a study published on February 7, 2022 by the New Climate Institute in cooperation with Carbon Market Watch.

However, terms such as “net zero” and “climate neutral” suggest this type of climate protection.

Only a company's net-zero commitment received a reasonable integrity rating.

Three were rated “fair”, ten “low” and the remaining twelve were rated “very low” integrity.

Lead author Thomas Day summed up that the ambitious-sounding promises all too often lack real substance.

This could "mislead" both consumers and regulators.

Climate protection promise: According to the study, integrity at Apple, Ikea and VW is only “moderate”

According to the study, 24 out of 25 companies are likely to rely on offset credits of varying quality.

Around two-thirds rely on forests and other natural carbon stores, which could easily be reversed by a forest fire, for example.

According to the study, the Danish logistics group Maersk is at the top with "reasonable integrity" - followed by Apple, Sony and Vodafone with "moderate" integrity.

The analysis further concludes that the commitments to the following companies are of "low integrity":

• Amazon

• Deutsche Telekom

• Enel

• Glaxosmithkline

• Google

• hitachi

• IKEA

• Vale

• Volkswagen

• Walmart

These groups receive the rating “very low integrity”:

• Accenture

• bmw

• Carrefour

• CVS Health

• Deutsche Post DHL

• eon

• JBS

• Nestlé

• Novartis

• Saint Gobain

• unilever

Greenwashing study 2022: Google reacts and makes 2030 promises

According to the dpa, Google said it was making its climate commitments transparent and reporting regularly on progress.

"We have long been aware that operational CO2 neutrality through 100 percent renewable energies and high-quality carbon offsets is just one step on our path to sustainability." The goal is by 2030 at all locations and plants and across the entire value chain Achieve net zero emissions.

The expert Gilles Dufrasne insisted on stricter rules.

"We need governments and regulators to put an end to this greenwashing trend," he said.

Vague targets could be worse than doing nothing if they misled the public.

At the most recent world climate conference in Glasgow - which the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg called a "PR event" - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded that every country, every city, every company and every financial institution "radically, credibly and comprehensibly" Reduce emissions and adjust their portfolios accordingly - "from now on".

There is no other way to achieve the common goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.