Partnerships are at the core of sustainable business
When I chose energy technology and environmental protection to be my engineering major in the 1990s, these two were considered to be unlikely partners.
Countless were the times when I had to explain the link between sustainability and business, or how I thought business could benefit from sustainability, as it was seen as a “soft” discipline. Unless there was a disaster or crisis somewhere, they were rarely discussed in any comprehensive way as part of serious business.
Fast forward two decades. The change has been tremendous. Today, the concept of sustainability is much wider than environment. It is also not only a license to operate but it can also offer new business opportunities for the leaders.
Tackling the climate crisis is at the core of Neste's strategy. In the coming decade, we are committed to two major climate targets. The first one is about helping our customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million tonnes annually by 2030. But what is more, we are also looking at our own carbon footprint and are committed to reducing it ahead of EU energy and climate targets. In addition, we also want to take on the global waste plastic challenge and have set an ambition to process more than one million tons of plastic waste annually by 2030.
We have also started the Journey to Zero program, which we hope will encourage many others to make their own contribution for a better tomorrow. The idea is to explore new ways to reduce carbon footprint in different areas of everyday life.
Invitation on a journey to do good together
One great thing about the concept of sustainability is that it keeps evolving. It is no longer just about the environment or climate issues, it is also about people. People are the ones making the change.
Increasingly, sustainability has a role in how companies position themselves in society and sets conditions for their future. Therefore every business needs to make it clear where they stand and how they are creating a sustainable future, including participating in discussions that help steer the future of the society.
We must all be ready to take bold steps that may not always be the most obvious ones. Helping others in taking a different direction in their lives may set forth new, unforeseen success stories. Addressing the climate crisis requires a variety of solutions, innovation and cooperation. The most sustainable solutions are often made together.
That is why it takes more than one to solve these challenges — to reach zero whether in terms of zero emissions, zero waste or zero exclusion.
We are now inviting our partners, customers and suppliers to join this journey to do concrete good — on every front, together. Partnerships are truly the key for sustainable business.
Join us in doing good together at Journey to Zero site.
