Following the Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries are pressing ahead with low-carbon reforms, helping to open around $23 trillion in opportunities for climate-smart investments by 2030. The key to transforming the current high-carbon infrastructure into a low-carbon one, is systems change.
The risks presented by climate change cross the boundaries between nations, continents, industries and societies. SDG 17 – partnerships for the goals – is critical to unlocking progress to the other 16 SDGs. Businesses, governments and citizens all have a role to play but fundamental to creating systems change is collaboration, which is why we’re prioritising advocacy and partnerships with others.
This has led us to work on issues ranging across our entire value chain, from combating deforestation and improving the carbon footprint of our agricultural supply chain, to designing more products with a lower GHG impact for people to use at home.
27% of our GHG footprint comes from raw materials for ingredients and packaging. Impacts of climate change on agriculture will be different in different parts of the world. An important step in our sustainable sourcing programme will be the launch in 2018 of the renewed Sustainable Agriculture Code, which has guidance on all aspects of Climate Smart Agriculture.
In the middle of our value chain are our own factories and sites - the parts of our business over which we have the greatest control. We've committed to becoming carbon positive in our operations by 2030. That means 100% of our energy will come from renewable sources - and we intend to directly support the generation of more renewable energy than we need for our own operations, making the surplus available to the markets and communities in which we operate.
Technology and innovation are playing a critical part in addressing climate change - and in opening up the opportunities for business that a low-carbon economy will bring. Over 60% of our GHG footprint occurs when consumers use our products in their homes. To reduce this, we’re using our knowledge and resources in innovation, and Research and Development, to bring people products they enjoy but which come with lower GHG impacts.