SABIC today announced that the company's global headquarters have been certified as a carbon neutral site for 2018 through an independent verification process. SABIC is among the first in the global chemical industry to achieve the PAS 2060 carbon neutrality specification standard, established by the British Standards Institute (BSI).
The certification was awarded by South Pole – a Swiss sustainability expert that provides PAS2060 validation services and works with businesses and governments to realize deep decarbonization pathways across industries. SABIC's investment in carbon offsets accounted for nearly 44,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions generated annually by the company's global headquarters in Riyadh, which houses approximately 2000 employees.
SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, Yousef Al-Benyan, said, “Sustainability is a foundational element of our corporate strategy, which has helped us grow from a 'Global Challenger' to a 'Global Leader' in our industry. We will continue on the path to a more sustainable company to bring even greater value to our shareholders, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the communities where we operate.
SABIC General Manager, Corporate Sustainability, Frank Kuijpers, emphasized the importance of the certification. “We are proud of this achievement as a crucial first step, demonstrating that we have adopted sustainability as our guiding light in product and process innovation. We have voluntarily committed to an ambitious 25% reduction in energy and greenhouse gas emission intensity by 2025, against our 2010 baseline, and this is an important milestone on that path."
Renat Heuberger, CEO, South Pole, added, “For decades, the chemicals industry has been a driving force behind the improved sustainability and performance of products and solutions. Today, the sustainability of the sector itself is crucial to ensure competitiveness, but also to tackle global climate change. We congratulate SABIC for their leadership in pursuing robust carbon management plans in line with the GHG Protocol and internationally recognized standards (PAS2060). We hope that their actions will inspire other organizations across the Middle East to embark on a similar journey towards carbon neutrality."
SABIC leveraged carbon offsets issued by the United Nations thanks to energy efficiency project at its manufacturing facility in Jubail. SABIC is the only company in the KSA to achieve UN carbon credits.
The company's commitment to sustainability stands as one of many ways that SABIC is contributing to Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom's ambitious program for economic revitalization, which includes environmental sustainability.
For further information, please consult https://www.sabic.com/en
