The Estée Lauder Companies has made a stand against climate change by joining business and world leaders in New York City for Climate Week NYC (23-29 September).
As the event began, the company announced significant progress towards achieving its sustainability and environmental goals of releasing net zero carbon emissions and using 100% renewable energy by 2020.
The company said its progress can be attributed to its many environmental initiatives, particularly the advancement of its global solar portfolio. The company has also expanded capital funding for low-carbon sustainability projects.
The Estée Lauder Companies Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Senior Vice President Nancy Mahon joined other business leaders in a panel discussion during the opening ceremony on Monday. In the discussion, she highlighted the role that the business sector can play to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
She also shared insights on how The Estée Lauder Companies is minimising its own carbon footprint and how it is developing its sustainability portfolio to reflect the full scope of climate change mitigation strategies. Some noteworthy examples of the company’s renewable energy projects include the development and use of ground-mounted and rooftop solar and wind energy solutions.
In the last three years, The Estée Lauder Companies has implemented these solar energy solutions in Europe and the Americas. In 2016, the company installed a one megawatt on-site solar system in its manufacturing plant in the UK. The system now contributes 12-14% of the site’s annual electricity consumption. In 2019 it generated 815 megawatt hours (mWh) of solar energy, saving 483 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
The Estée Lauder Companies will implement the latest wave of its solar portfolio later this year. The company is building a 1.3 megawatt ground-mounted solar array in its New York facility. The site will use 3,300 solar panels to produce more than 1800 mWh of solar energy annually. This saves 1,300 metric tons of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere per year.
Further plans to extend the company’s solar portfolio include the activation of photovoltaic solar arrays in its distribution center in Switzerland and in its manufacturing plant in Blaine. Combined, these solar systems will generate almost 2,500 mWh of solar energy annually, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a combined 1500 metric tons per year.
According to Mahon, taking steps to ensure a low-carbon future is no longer an option, but a responsibility for a group like The Estée Lauder Companies. She said: “As a global business, we understand the importance of being responsible citizens in the communities we serve and see the need for action across sectors when it comes to climate change.”
“That’s why, as part of our enterprise-wide strategy for a low-carbon future, we set goals to reach Net Zero carbon emissions and to source 100% renewable electricity for our operations by the end of 2020. The Estée Lauder Companies is proud to be a sponsor of Climate Week and part of the global coalition addressing climate change,” she added.
