Geneva, 23 March 2022 – Johnson Controls, the global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, has today joined over 200 forward-thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world’s largest portfolio of building technology, software as well as service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, the company delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering OpenBlue. Johnson Controls is committed to helping solve the climate crisis, supporting customers in achieving their efficiency and sustainability goals through offerings such as OpenBlue Net Zero Buildings as a Service.
As a global leader in smart, healthy, sustainable buildings, sustainability has been a central focus of Johnson Controls' operations for decades. The company was among the earliest industrial companies to report emissions and pledge emission reductions, and has made tremendous progress – reducing carbon emissions intensity by more than 70 percent since 2002.
Johnson Controls continues to take significant steps to further improve its environmental impact and has committed to achieving net zero Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2040 – ten years ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement goal. By 2030, the company aims to cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 55 percent and reduce Scope 3 emissions by 16 percent. These ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.
Johnson Controls also recently became the first S&P500 industrial company to release an Integrated Sustainable Finance Framework as well as issue a Sustainability-Linked Bond. This builds on its green finance leadership following its prior green bond issuance and the linking of its senior credit facility to sustainability metrics. As part of its Integrated Sustainable Finance Framework, Johnson Controls further committed to achieving interim absolute emission reduction targets by 2025.
Johnson Controls is a member of both the WBCSD decarbonization and circular economy working groups for the Built Environment. With an integrated focus on designing buildings with low to no carbon, standardizing measurement across the industry, and delivering nature positive solutions, the two working groups are on the forefront of designing the future of sustainable, equitable cities.
“We are delighted to join WBCSD”, said Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls. “The building sector accounts for nearly 40 percent of global annual CO2 emissions, so there is no tackling climate change without substantial investment in buildings. We look forward to working with and learning from fellow WBCSD members, leading the way to a low carbon, nature positive, sustainable economy, together.”
“WBCSD is working to accelerate the system transformations needed for a net zero, nature positive, and more equitable future,” commented Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD. “To achieve our vision of creating a world in which 9+ billion people are living well, within planetary boundaries, by mid-century, we need to engage executives and sustainability leaders in business. Therefore, I am delighted to welcome Johnson Controls as the newest member of WBCSD. As a global leader in the built environment sector, with an ambitious goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, we are excited to work alongside Johnson Controls to solve the intertwined sustainability challenges of the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, and mounting inequality."
