BT announces 80 per cent global CO2 reduction target

03 June 2008

BT announced today that it will cut its carbon emissions intensity by 80 per cent across the globe by 2020 (from a 1996 baseline), setting one of the most aggressive corporate carbon reduction targets worldwide.

The company also published a new model for measuring and tracking carbon emissions – backed by The Carbon Disclosure Project. This represents an important step in measuring carbon emissions in a consistent way across the globe.

Jonathon Porritt, founder director of Forum for the Future and chair of BT's advisory panel, said, ''This is a ground-breaking new way of setting targets. If all companies adopted such a target we would be a long way towards fixing the problem of climate change.''

''BT has a proud history of international leadership in carbon reduction and of setting and achieving challenging targets," said BT chairman Sir Michael Rake. "We are delighted to raise the bar by extending these commitments to cover our entire global footprint, across more than 170 countries worldwide.''

The new model has been developed by Dr Chris Tuppen, BT's director of sustainable development. Dr Tuppen has won international acclaim for his work in this field and was named by the Guardian as one of the ''50 people most likely to save the Planet'' in 2008.

Dr Tuppen said, ''It is imperative that we stabilise the climate. At BT we recognise that it is our responsibility to grow in a sustainable way. The CSI Target creates a relationship between BT's CO2 emissions and its financial performance so that they become interdependent. It is a powerful tool for embedding sustainability into organisations worldwide and critical in effecting change.''