Decarbonisation is achievable

Berlin. German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze recently recognised eight projects that have been developed in a joint effort by a wide range of businesses as part of the cooperative project ‘Road to a <2° Economy’. Since mid-2017, around 40 companies from the transportation, property and manufacturing sectors have been working together on solutions for a <2° economy. This has produced eight promising projects that prepare the way for transitioning to this kind of economy.

This cooperative initiative aims to show that decarbonisation is achievable. By contributing to the project, companies are supporting national and international climate goals, and are also inviting other businesses to participate. The ‘Road to the <2° Economy’ project is run jointly by Foundation 2° – German Businesses for Climate Protection and WWF Germany, and was initiated by the 2° Supporters.

Sabine Nallinger, Managing Director of Foundation 2°: “Our cooperative project shows that, while companies may work in sectors that necessarily involve greenhouse gases, they can work together to identify solutions that lower these emissions. In this way, they help to future-proof not only their own industries but ultimately Germany as a place for doing business: the road to the <2° economy promotes both climate protection and innovation alike.”

Concrete results from the project range from solutions for low-emission logistics to climate-friendly measures for buildings and urban mobility. Environmental services provider INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH is also a member of the project team. With its #TAG2TAX project, the company is joining with other businesses in calling for a new regulatory framework to ensure that buildings can be systematically oriented on environmental compatibility at every stage of the property life cycle. Markus Müller-Drexel, Executive Director INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH: “Climate protection is a key topic for society as a whole. As important actors within this society, businesses also share responsibility for properly taking the topic of climate protection into account.”

The cooperative project run by Foundation 2° and WWF Germany is being funded by the Federal Environment Ministry as part of the 2050 Climate Action Plan programme and runs until November 2018. Conceptual and implementation work on the project ideas will continue up to and beyond this date. More reading material on the ‘Road to a <2° Economy’ can be found here.