More and more brands strive to reduce or completely cut their carbon footprint. The biggest companies in the world implement various changes into their work environment in an attempt to go carbon-free in a period of a few years. Google, for example, has become carbon-neutral in 2007 but aims to go carbon-free by the end of 2030.
Unquestionably, that seems like a very challenging goal, but the largest company in the world is determined to succeed. In the following paragraphs, we will reveal further information about a few other prominent companies that want to go carbon-negative in the next few years. Take a look at the listing to get an idea of which giants we’re about to focus on:
- Microsoft
- Apple
- Starbucks
Why Do Prominent Companies Want to Go Carbon-Free
Reducing the carbon footprint is quite crucial, and many people seem to realize this. It’s far from surprising that some of the most prominent companies in the world, such as Google, Apple, and Amazon aim to go carbon-free within a few years. A lower carbon footprint means better biodiversity and reduced chances of global warming.
Large companies can afford to implement numerous changes into their corporations, such as switching to solar panels, solar photocells, and completely discarding plastic. What’s more, many corporations also have small gardens employees plant trees in. Many of the team-building events are also oriented towards eco-awareness.
Carbon Footprint Reports of the Biggest Companies on A Global Scale
As we have previously mentioned, Google has been carbon-neutral since 2007, and in 2030 it is expected for the company to become completely carbon-free. The last report regarding the brand’s carbon dioxide emissions is quite impressive, showing that Google has not contributed at all towards the increase of greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat in the atmosphere and thus, increase the risk of global warming.
One of the ways Google has succeeded in going carbon-neutral is by buying capturing methane released from animal waste. The Chief Sustainability Officer of Google, Kate Brandt, shared that the company is committed to neutralizing all carbon emissions with respect to its operations. Back in 2018, she revealed a bit more about Google’s effective strategies to reduce its carbon footprint.
Nevertheless, a study published in Nature Communications journal suggested that some companies, including Google, underreport their actual carbon dioxide emissions. The other two brands mentioned in the report were the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and SAP. According to the research, there were discrepancies regarding the way companies report their greenhouse gas emissions. Experts agreed with the survey but also confirmed that it is incredibly hard to be punctual when it comes to reporting carbon footprint.
Popular Companies’ Ambitions to Go Carbon-Free
Microsoft is one of the most popular companies that want to go carbon-negative by the end of 2030. According to the Chief executive of the company Satya Nadella, the brand wants to remove all emitted carbon emissions ever since the foundation of Microsoft by 2050. Thus, in order to achieve this, the company is expected to become carbon-free in less than ten years.
Some individuals are not familiar with the difference between carbon-neutral and carbon-negative. Therefore, we’ll try to explain it in the simplest terms possible. If a company is carbon-neutral, it means that it does not add carbon to the atmosphere and it does not contribute to an increase of trapped heat due to greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, carbon-negative companies do not emit carbon into the atmosphere but rather help to reduce it.
Apple is another prominent brand that has promised to become carbon-neutral in less than ten years. Their goal is to create products that have zero negative impact on the environment and therefore, do not contribute to the rise of carbon dioxide emissions. According to a scheme published by Apple, the company plans to use the help of a robot named Dave, who will take care of returned products’ recovery procedures.
Many other popular companies plan on going carbon-neutral within several years. One of them is Starbucks, the loved by many American chain of coffeehouses. According to the available data, the brand strives to reduce its carbon emissions and landfill waste by more than 50%. Prominent clothing brands also try to implement more sustainable products into their collections. Nevertheless, the fashion industry is far from becoming carbon-neutral, considering that the majority of brands are part of the fast-fashion market.
What Will Happen If Most Companies Go Carbon-Neutral or Carbon-Negative
Going carbon-negative would surely be a challenge for any brand out there. Despite that, however, as you already know, many brands aim to do so. Microsoft and Apple are just a few of the many enthusiasts. Although living in a carbon-negative world is practically impossible, it would surely be beneficial for the people and the environment if more corporations decided to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
The advantages associated with this possible change are numerous. The most important one, however, is the fact that the risk of global warming will minimize drastically because the amount of greenhouse gas emissions will decrease, which will lead to less heat trapped in the atmosphere. Of course, this will also result in clear and fresher air. Aside from giants like Google and Microsoft, many local businesses also endeavor to diminish their carbon footprint in the atmosphere.