Medtronic has announced its ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by fiscal year 2045 across its operations and value chain to accelerate efforts to combat climate change. The announcement comes amidst the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), where world leaders are focusing on collectively cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
As published in Medtronic’s new Decarbonization Roadmap, the FY45 milestone builds on the company’s existing goal of reaching carbon neutrality in its operations by fiscal year 2030, to encompass GHG emissions reductions across its entire value chain. To achieve its ambition, Medtronic will pursue setting GHG emission reduction targets across scopes 1, 2, and 3 through the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) – a multi-year initiative that provides companies a clearly defined path to reduce emissions aligned with the Paris Agreement.
“As a global healthcare technology leader, our goal is to transform industry expectations and behaviour where health and climate change intersect,” said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and chief executive officer. “Our teams across 150 countries are actively working to protect our planet by reducing our energy use, investing in renewables, and now moving toward net zero emissions throughout our operations, supply chain and logistic partners, by pursuing science-based targets.”