Australia’s Origin Energy becomes the first energy company in the world to endorse all seven CDP/We Mean Business climate leadership commitments

News

SYDNEY – One of Australia’s largest integrated energy companies, Origin Energy, has endorsed all seven climate leadership commitments under the CDP/We Mean Business ‘Commit to Action’ climate leadership platform – the first energy company in the world to do so.

Developed by CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) and We Mean Business, the framework defines a series of climate change leadership benchmarks and formally lists companies and investors that have endorsed these commitments and which recognise that taking climate action makes good business sense.

Origin has agreed to endorse all seven of the CDP/We Mean Business ‘Commit to Action’ climate leadership commitments:

  • Committed to adopt a science-based emissions reduction target
  • Setting measures to factor in a cost of carbon internally to materially affect investment decisions to drive down greenhouse gas emissions
  • Procure 100% of electricity for its own operations and offices from renewable sources
  • Responsible corporate engagement in climate policy
  • Report climate change information in mainstream reports
  • Remove commodity-driven deforestation from all supply chains by 2020
  • Reduce short-lived climate pollutant emissions

CDP’s Australia and NZ Director, James Day welcomed Origin’s climate commitments.

“Origin Energy is the first energy company in the world to endorse all seven of the CDP/We Mean Business climate leadership commitments.

“Origin’s commitments are significant, especially its commitments to adopt a science-based emissions reduction target and reduce short-lived climate pollutant emissions. Origin is a major carbon emitter, and energy production is responsible for around two-thirds of global carbon emissions.”

“In making these commitments, Origin joins a growing list of over 200 major companies around the world that are embracing the strong economic opportunities for business from the transition to a low carbon economy”, he said.

Origin’s climate commitments, along with those made by other companies and institutional investors through CDP and the We Mean Business Coalition, will soon be recognised by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on its NAZCA web portal, and will be tabled at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21), starting on 30 November.

Origin joins almost 40 major Australian companies that have endorsed one or more of the CDP/We Mean Business climate leadership commitments.

Australian companies demonstrating leadership on climate change will also be showcased at the Australian Climate Leadership Summit on 5 November in Sydney. The Summit is an official lead-in event to COP21, accredited by the French government, supported by the City of Sydney. The summit will also announce major climate commitments by Australian investors, and state, city and local governments.

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Media contact: Bob Bowden, Foresight Communications, 0412 753 298, [email protected]

Companies and investors headquartered or active in Australia with climate commitments registered through CDP and We Mean Business include:
AGL Energy, Australian Ethical Investment, AXA Group, Catholic Super, BT Group, CLP Holdings, Coca Cola Co, Colgate Palmolive, Colonial First State Investment, GDF Suez, HESTA, Hewlett-Packard, Honda, IKEA, Kellogg Company, Infigen Energy, Konica Minolta, Lenovo, Local Government Super, L’Oreal, Mars, Nestle, Nissan, Novion Property Group, Origin Energy, Pepsi, Plato Investment Management, Shell, Ricoh, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Swiss Re, UCA Funds Management, Unilever, University of Sydney, Veolia, VicSuper and Westpac.