With the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism approaching, countries and major brands are implementing countermeasures. Walmart is actively reviewing its value chain and aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2035, while Amazon aims to operate entirely on renewable energy by 2025. Global emissions reduction is unstoppable, and Taiwan has also pledged to reach a net-zero target by 2050. Taiwan is currently evaluating feasible sustainability strategies across various industries and promoting energy transition. To combat climate change, the 195 UN member states adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015, aiming to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, ideally 1.5°C. However, in 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a leading international climate science organization, predicted that global temperature rise would exceed 1.5°C by 2052. To bring the average temperature back within 1.5°C, global carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced to zero by 2050. This goal is now less than 30 years away. The European Union announced a carbon border adjustment mechanism to improve on previous, often superficial, carbon reduction approaches. In light of the global climate crisis, the European Union published a draft of the "Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism" on July 15, 2021. It is expected to be implemented on a three-year trial basis starting in 2023. Initially, it will require carbon emissions declarations for imported steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, and power products. A tax will be levied on greenhouse gas emissions from imported goods, and this will be gradually expanded to other industries. Although countries have established greenhouse gas emissions controls in the past, companies producing high-carbon products often relocate their factories to countries with looser emission regulations to circumvent them. This has resulted in no reduction in global emissions and limited effectiveness in mitigating global warming. The imposition of EU carbon tariffs is intended to prevent similar "carbon leakage" issues. Walmart aims to be net zero from raw material supply to production, using 100% renewable energy by 2035. Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, one of the world's largest retailers, declared at the end of 2020: "I'm committing to a rebirth of Walmart, dedicated to putting nature and people at the center of our business practices." He explained that this means restoring, repairing, and replenishing nature at the company's operational level. In addition to conserving energy, Walmart will decarbonize its operations, eliminate waste throughout its product chain, and establish sustainable development commitments with its raw material suppliers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The goal is to promote prosperity and fairness for customers, colleagues, and key stakeholders involved in its product supply chain. Walmart aims to harvest enough wind, solar, and other renewable energy to power its facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2035, and aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, electrifying all its vehicles, including delivery trucks. Amazon plans to operate entirely on renewable energy by 2025. Amazon, the US e-commerce giant, also aims to achieve net-zero emissions. In 2020, it launched the Climate Pledge Friendly seal. Through partnerships with organizations like Fairtrade International and the Rainforest Alliance, eligible products will receive the Climate Pledge Friendly seal, providing dedicated product pages for easy identification. In April 2021, Amazon announced its joining The Climate Pledge, a global initiative signed by hundreds of companies worldwide, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Amazon plans to operate entirely on renewable energy by 2025 and have more than half of its shipments be net-zero emissions by 2030. The company will also purchase 100,000 electric vehicles for logistics and require suppliers to develop streamlined and innovative product packaging. Source: CSRone (https://csrone.com/news/7015)
