The climate emergency: it’s time to act

“Dad, is it true that you could go skiing here in Denmark when you were my age?”, my youngest son doubtfully asked me this weekend.?

It is true that even though Denmark with our flat landscapes never was the big skiing nation, it was definitely more common to see ski enthusiasts outside my childhood windows during winters than what my children get to see today.

The climate changes are indeed becoming more and more visible and are affecting all of us, both in our every day lives and on a global environmental and societal scale. We have all seen, and perhaps even experienced first-hand, how brutal the consequences can be with floods, hurricanes, forest fires, climate refugees etc. Which is why, each and every one of us has a responsibility to be more sustainable, green, and environmentally conscious.

Environmental responsibility has become a license to operate for businesses

Without a doubt, the lion's share of responsibility falls as it should on businesses, and therefore, on those who lead them. This is fully warranted. The activities and sheer scale of industry have an impact far beyond that of any individual, and beyond fossil fuels, large companies still account for the vast majority of plastic pollution, chemical use, and food waste.

Promising and delivering on environmental responsibility has increasingly become a license to operate for businesses. This is found at the regulatory level, where, particularly in Europe, high standards and ambitious targets have been enshrined in binding legislation. However, and more importantly, it is becoming a necessity for employees, customers and investors who expect – and demand – greater transparency, engagement and evidence of environmental action and initiatives from their companies of choice.

A bold new ambition for ISS: Net-zero emissions throughout our entire supply chain

With around 400,000 employees, 40,000 customers, and 80,000 suppliers worldwide, ISS has the leverage – and responsibility – to make a truly positive impact on people, society, and the planet.

That’s why last week we launched an ambitious commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from company-controlled assets by 2030, and net-zero throughout our entire supply chain by 2040. While both are ambitious goals for a large company like ISS, I am particularly excited about our commitment to decarbonise our supply chain. Let me tell you why:

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are often categorised as belonging to Scope 1 – produced directly by a company – or Scope 2 – produced indirectly by purchasing energy. Whereas Scope 3 GHG emissions are the results of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organisation. These are generated upstream or downstream of a company. In other words, Scope 3 are the GHG produced throughout the supply chain.

Achieving net-zero throughout our supply chain is particularly challenging, as this represents emissions outside the direct control of a company. The main challenges for a company like ISS can be grouped in three buckets:

?1.?????Complexity in global supply chains

2.?????Rethinking the full life cycle of your products and services

3.?????The lack of data availability and accuracy

ISS’s journey to net zero and sustainability

No doubt, tackling Scope 3 GHG emissions will be challenging, but a crucial step for ISS. More than 90 percent of our total emissions globally come from these sources. Tackling low-hanging fruit, so to speak, is all very well and good, but to have a real impact, you have to tackle the most difficult, hard to reach challenges. This is why our net zero ambition includes all three scopes.

This commitment comes as part of a wider sustainability push that we have been integrating throughout the business over the past years, and which will be further elaborated in a dedicated sustainability strategy later this year. In particular, we have been focusing – and will continue to focus – on the following areas:

1.?????Sustainable food service

Sustainable food management can provide a powerful solution to the interconnected challenges of climate, health, and nature. At ISS, we have made food sustainability a core part of our business. As part of our net zero ambitions, we’ve set ourselves a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food we serve globally by 25% by 2030. In addition, we will reduce food waste by 50% by 2027. Both targets are based on 2019 baselines. Our partnership with @Winnow, a developer of AI tools and smart kitchen technologies, has already been fundamental in helping us and our customers to better manage resources and reap the financial benefits as a result.

2.?????Reducing waste and water consumption:

We are working both internally and with our customers to improve performance in these areas, integrating sustainable practices into our, and our customers’ facilities. For example, we have helped customers improve their recycling rates above 80% and to meet their zero-waste-to-landfill targets. In addition, in 2020, our work with our largest chemical supplier, yielded a reduction of 762,000 litres in water using a controlled water distribution system.

3.?????Harnessing innovative technology and thinking:

Continuing to challenge conventional thinking – for example the capacity of large, multi-service industries to address Scope 3 GHG emissions - and to embrace innovation will be essential if we are to effectively tackle the climate crisis. We are embracing innovation and technology throughout our business and encouraging it in our supply chain, from biodegradable products and packaging to water-free cleaning and using AI to shorten the commute and cut down on emissions.

4.?????Fostering a green culture:

Many companies can now count on an environmentally conscious workforce, and ISS is no exception. Tapping into this sense of collective responsibility and commitment to the world we are part of is a driver for strong sustainability action at corporate level. It’s a circle of positive reinforcement.

The world is our partner, not our provider

A service-based company such as ISS must consider our own enterprise, business operations and individual behaviour. But we also must think about our customers’ operations and the full length of our supply chain in all its complexities. So, developing and – crucially – implementing ambitious sustainability efforts are a considerable undertaking.

But it is a necessary one. ISS must become part of the growing global movement to take full responsibility for the world around us. It is a world that we do not simply live in and take from, but a world that we must partner with, give back to, and nurture. As we all know: There is no ‘planet B’.

At ISS, we are truly committed to doing our part.

#Sustainability #Environment #NetZero #CorporateResponsibility #OneISS #ISSbethechange