Asahi Group Signs "Business Ambition for 1.5℃" and Participates in the "Race to Zero" Promoted by the United Nations

　“Business Ambition for 1.5℃” is a campaign which aims at achieving de facto zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the year 2050 and urgently calls on businesses to set reduction targets based on science. At present (as of May 2021), more than 500 companies have announced their support, centered on global firms.
 

　“Race to Zero” is an initiative to accelerate the trend toward decarbonization and ask governments in each nation to upgrade their climate change mitigation policies toward the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) to be held in Glasgow, UK in November 2021. At present (as of December 2020), 1,101 companies, 45 major institutional investors, 549 universities, 452 cities, and 22 regional governments are participating in Race to Zero.
 

　Toward achieving the middle- to long-term target “Asahi Carbon Zero” which aims at zero CO₂ emissions by the year 2050, the entire Asahi Group is working to actively utilize renewable energy at domestic and overseas production bases, revise manufacturing processes, and improve distribution efficiencies, etc. “Asahi Carbon Zero” has already received approval as a 1.5℃ target from the SBT (Science Based Targets) initiative.^*4
 

　The Asahi Group sets forth “Contribute to a sustainable society through our business” as one of the principles of the Asahi Group Philosophy. As a company which conducts business while utilizing the “blessings of nature,” the Asahi Group aims at handing down the “blessings of nature” to the next generation by actively promoting efforts to address various environmental issues. The Group is advancing initiatives to respond to climate change under the “Asahi Carbon Zero” target, and aims at the sustainability of both society and business.
 

• “Asahi Carbon Zero” is the Asahi Group’s medium- to long-term target for reducing CO₂ emissions. It aims to achieve zero CO₂ emissions in Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 by 2050, and to achieve 50% reductions in CO₂ emissions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 (compared to the 2019 level) and 30% reductions in CO₂ emissions in Scope 3 (compared to the 2015 level) by 2030.
• The UN Global Compact was proposed by (then) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum held on January 31, 1999. It asks each company to support and implement, within its sphere of influence, 10 principles in the four fields human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. The participation by each company and organization is voluntary. As of January 2021, there were 385 companies and organizations participating in Network Japan and over 16,000 companies and organizations participating worldwide.
• “We Mean Business” is an international platform comprised of and operated by international organs, think tanks, NGOs, and other bodies which are promoting global warming countermeasures by companies and investors.
• The Science Based Targets initiative is an international initiative jointly established by CDP, the UN Global Compact, WRI (World Resources Institute), and WWF (World Wildlife Fund). It certifies that the greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets of companies are consistent with scientific grounds.