Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the ambitious reduction targets set by En+ Group and others at the UN Climate Action Summit
25 September 2019 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has commended En+ Group and a cohort of international businesses for their ambitious climate targets at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. En+ Group, the world’s largest producer of low-carbon aluminium, is among 87 major companies that have committed to climate targets across their operations and value chains aligned with limited global temperature rises to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. Together the companies have a market capitalization of over USD 2.3 trillion and represent over 4.2 million employees from 28 sectors and 27 countries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said:
“It is encouraging to see many first-movers in the private sector align with civil society and ambitious Governments by stepping up in support of a 1.5ºC future. Now we need many more companies to join the movement, sending a clear signal that markets are shifting.”
Lord Barker of Battle, Executive Chairman of En+ Group, commented:
“The aluminium industry needs to take urgent action to embrace a low carbon economy. Aluminium can play an important role in this future, but it needs to be produced sustainably. As the world’s largest producer of low carbon aluminium, we are committed to leading the industry in this transition and to working with governments and businesses from around the world to address the climate crisis. We are proud of the commitments we have made under the Business Ambition for 1.5ºC and are pushing ahead with practical steps to achieve this pressing goal.”
Recognizing corporate climate leadership in the lead up to the UN Global Compact Private Sector Forum — the official luncheon of the UN Climate Action Summit — Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, said:
“These bold companies are leading the way towards a positive tipping point where 1.5°C-aligned corporate strategies are the new normal for businesses and their supply chains around the world. This is the type of transformative change we need to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals for both people and planet.”
En+ Group’s decision to join the Business Ambition for 1.5°C movement is just the latest in a number of international environmental partnerships and commitments announced by the Company this year. In August the Group joined the United Nations Global Compact. The Company underlined its resolve to further reduce its environmental impact in addition to demonstrating its commitment to ten core principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Additionally, En+ joined the Energy Transitions Commission (the “ETC”) in July as part of its strategy to lead a global shift towards low carbon aluminium. En+ Group committed to supporting the ETC’s research into reaching net-zero carbon emissions from heavy industry and will collaborate with other members to identify the most effective actions to realise this goal.
