Sustainability is the movement of our era. We are progressively becoming more aware of environmental and ethical issues under the name of being sustainable. Sustainability fights for Earth, and sustainability fights for our future—and yes, fighting for our future is essential. It’s a part of our ethical responsibility to our next of kin that they should also have access to the things we have access to, such as clean water, clean air, forests, and many more. So many people take these things for granted now, and we already see the massively rapid decline of our ecosystem.
Time and time again, we see grassroots movements and activism happening around us. The youth of our generation are very vocal about their aspirations for the future, represented by the many ongoing protests. In addition to that, the movement now includes brands that range from food to fashion. So, let’s see the brands that have taken the pledge to be more sustainable.
Jetblue
The Climate Pledge
Jetblue is probably the first American aviation company that has taken the pledge to greener options and sustainability. The company, since July 2020, has taken the initiative to resolve their carbon emission by offsetting it as other alternatives that would cancel out the amount of carbon impact on the environment. The carbon offset projects include the support of forestry, which we understand can help regulate climates. Jetblue will also continue to develop alternatives to become more environmentally sound with their aviation as a part of the climate pledge that aims to have zero net carbon by 2040. Recently, Jetblue adopted a sustainable fuel strategy that can reduce 80% CO2 emissions made by their planes.
In regards to the climate pledge, the agreement signifies that Jetblue will commit to:
Regular reporting of transparency on their greenhouse gas emission
Implement decarbonization acts aligned with the Paris Agreement
Alternate to credible offsets to neutralize remaining emissions to be zero net carbon by 2040
Apple
Carbon Neutral by 2030
In the July 2020 press release, Apple announced its resolution to become 100% carbon neutral in its whole supply chain by 2030. Apple previously succeeded in becoming carbon neutral by incorporating emissions. This initiative will take their commitment to better the environment to a new stage.
“Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share. The innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet — they’ve helped us make our products more energy-efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world. Climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth. With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change.”
— Tim Cook
Also, in the press release, Apple shared its roadmap to become carbon neutral through innovations. These innovations include a low product design in which the initiative alternates materials to low carbon and recycled materials. This commitment is reportedly practical as Apple could reduce its carbon footprint by 4.3 metric tons by 2019. Other commitments in the roadmap include expanding energy efficiency, investing in renewable energy, and other innovations in process and materials and carbon removal.
Target
Sustainable Operations
Target recently published their commitment to becoming zero net carbon by 2040 to their company website. Besides their sustainable operations commitment, Target also initiated their climate, chemical usage, and water usage policy which you can visit on their website. Let’s take a closer look at each of these projects.
Their sustainability operations include their pledge to enhance communities, reducing greenhouse emissions as well as reducing waste. Target writes, “We believe that to have a sustainable impact, that economy must be a circular one that designs out waste, uses fewer materials and materials with lower environmental impact – including alternatives to plastics – and makes reusing and recycling easier.” Their waste reduction initiative managed to divert as much as 80% of their operational waste from the landfills. Future commitments will see Target working with suppliers and managing operational chains to reduce environmental impact.
Next, their climate pledge is in support of the Paris Agreement. Target focuses its climate efforts on five points which include improving the supply chain and operations. Other factors include electric innovation and becoming more energy and water-efficient. This pledge is backed up by their freshwater stewardship approach to provide clean waters as an essential delivery of fundamental rights. This project includes their support in improving water quality, optimizing water efficiency, and increasing access to clean water for communities.
Lastly, their chemical pledge aligns with their aspirations to manage chemicals across their products and managements. All these pledges are also followed by their vow to keep transparency in their operations.
Jetblue, Apple, and Target are only a tiny fraction of the more prominent corporations that have taken an approach to become more sustainable and environmentally sound. With this knowledge, we hope you can share this information and become more aware of their pledges. With this awareness, we also hope you continue to oversee if these companies commit to these programs or not. It is time for us to be more vigilant in monitoring these big corporations.
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