Sourcing Renewables | Page 118

Celanese Corporation, a global chemical and specialty materials company, announced on Jan. 26 that it has extended a contract to incorporate a solar power component into the electricity supply mix for its acetyl intermediates chemical manufacturing facility.

Global tech company Akamai Technologies announced on Jan. 25 that it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by sourcing more renewable energy. While 2020 traffic on the Akamai platform increased, Akamai's greenhouse gas emissions decreased.

Mastercard announced on Jan. 26 that it has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 by decarbonizing its operations and supply chains.

A coalition of American companies that represent the country's largest buyers of renewable energy, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, General Motors, Microsoft, Walmart and PepsiCo, to name a few, released Jan. 25 a joint statement calling for the federal government to prioritize policies that accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon power sector. 

EY, the global organization of Ernst & Young, announced on Jan. 25 that it has set an ambition to be carbon negative in 2021 by setting targets to significantly reduce its absolute emissions and removing and offsetting more carbon than it emits.

Danone announced on Jan. 21 that it has signed a long-term PPA to obtain power from Europe's biggest photovoltaic plant. The move will allow the global food company to power its plants and factories in Spain with 100% renewable electricity.

Following a VPPA last September, Honda will receive 120 MW of renewable power from the recently completed Boiling Springs Wind Farm. Project owner RWE Renewables announced on Jan. 20 that the offtake is one of the largest-ever renewable energy purchases.

U.S. President Joseph R. Biden fulfilled his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement on his first day in office. One of 15 executive actions signed from the Oval Office on January 20, the action signals a major policy reversal following four years during which the Trump administration rejected climate science and rolled back environmental regulation to maximize fossil fuel development.

The decision by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to veto landmark climate legislation is extremely disappointing and a step in the wrong direction for Massachusetts’ ability to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, according to this column from Ceres. The organization is calling on state legislators to reintroduce this legislation immediately, noting that the Commonwealth cannot afford to delay the transition to a net-zero emissions future that is already underway.