There has been much discussion and debate since the EU Commission recently unveiled its proposed 2030 carbon targets. While the energy lobbies argue the targets are too ambitious, the green lobbies assert they're not ambitious enough.
I was recently among a delegation of business leaders from the Prince of Wales's EU Corporate Leaders Group in Brussels. The purpose of the meeting was to impress on the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, our support for the proposed 40% target to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as a minimum.
Unlike other continents, Europe does not have the conventional energy resources needed to power our economy. We have traditionally relied on other regions for our supply and have been subject to their price policies. With massive shifts in the energy supply occurring around us, it is critical for Europe to take control of its future and unlock its low-carbon economic potential. What we need is for Europe to step up – to take radical action and drive the market changes we need to transform our economy towards a more sustainable path. We need to do this not just for the wellbeing of our markets, but for our people and the planet.
An ambitious low-carbon target is achievable and can dramatically increase profitability and productivity. Interface Europe has surpassed the proposed 40% reduction and is now operating at a 90% reduction rate. The ultimate target is for Interface to have zero impact on the environment by 2020.
When Mission Zero was conceived in 1994 by Interface's founder and CEO, the late Ray Anderson, the goal seemed outrageous and unattainable, but two important strategies have helped Interface forge ahead: increasing efficiencies and switching to alternative energy sources. Faster production lines, recycling products and developing innovative technologies have reduced emissions by 60%. The remaining 30% of reductions have come from converting to green electricity and, more recently, to biogas.
Other companies in other industries are also showing that meaningful change is within reach. Toyota Motor Europe has reduced its production energy and water use per vehicle by 70% since 1993. Japanese construction and mining equipment manufacturer Komatsu has reduced its transport and logistics GHG emissions (a proxy for transport energy use) by 35% in five years (PDF). These examples show significant progress can be made if organisations set themselves the challenge to make tangible differences swiftly.
These examples are to be applauded, but greater commitment and drive will be needed if industry as a whole is to move to a zero-carbon model. Setting modest percentage targets generates results, but it is unlikely to create the conditions and provide the impetus that will lead to a step change.
Objectives, environmental or otherwise, are often set on the basis of what is technically achievable, but that limits vision to what is feasible now. The only way to push the boundaries is to set seemingly impossible targets. It takes you away from the ordinary and challenges you to widen the scope and look for alternatives that you didn't know were possible. Increasing efficiency forced Interface to venture into the unknown and search for technologies it never dreamt could exist. By applying NASA technology it developed an ultrasonic cutting machine that doubled output and reduced waste by 80%. By becoming more energy efficient, continuously replacing raw materials with bio-based or recycled alternatives, and switching to renewable energy, Interface has reduced costs by €7.6m per annum since 1996.
Former UK prime minister David Lloyd George once said: "Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." Now is the time for the EU Commission, parliament, industry and society at large to rise to the challenge of the sustainability targets laid out by the EU Commission. We must be able to unlock a low-carbon economy in Europe. It is just as essential for the environment as it is to stimulate innovation, jobs and growth; and for Europe to remain competitive.
Rob Boogaard is acting CEO and president EMEA of Interface and a member of the Prince of Wales's EU Corporate Leaders Group
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