Environment

GM Joins White House Climate Pledge

Jul 28, 2015 11:15 AM ET
Campaign: GM Energy Efficiency

GeneralMotors.Green

Secretary of State John Kerry and senior Obama Administration officials hosted General Motors and a dozen other companies to launch the American Business Act on Climate Pledge yesterday at the White House. The pledge represents how companies remain committed to addressing the global challenge of climate change head on.

As signers, we pledge our ongoing commitment to climate action, our support for a strong Paris climate negotiations outcome, and our hope that other companies will join the growing business community committed to addressing this important global issue.

“There’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate,” said President Obama at the U.N. Climate Summit last September.

The White House pledge reaffirmed this sentiment, stating that no sector of the global economy will remain unaffected by climate change in the years ahead.

As a signatory of the Ceres BICEP Climate Declaration since 2013, we believe, and continue to prove, there is economic opportunity in addressing climate change.

“We know the world is changing and we are making bold moves to ensure we remain relevant to customers and conserve the resources our industry relies on,” said Greg Martin, GM’s executive director of sustainability, who participated in the White House roundtable. “We are restructuring our entire global portfolio to maximize vehicle efficiencies and reducing carbon emissions around the globe while we meet a variety of customer needs.”

In total, the White House calculated that all of the company pledges represent at least $140 billion in new low-carbon investment and more than 1,600 megawatts of new renewable energy, in addition to company-specific goals. Specifically, GM pledges to:

  • Reduce energy intensity from facilities 20 percent by 2020 over a 2010 baseline.
  • Promote use of 125 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020 over a 2010 baseline.
  • Reduce carbon intensity from facilities 20 percent by 2020 over a 2010 baseline.
  • Reduce water intensity 15 percent by 2020 over a 2010 baseline.
  • Reduce total waste 40 percent by 2020 over a 2010 baseline.
  • Achieve 150 landfill-free facilities by 2020 and set an aspirational goal to have all manufacturing sites send zero waste to landfill.
  • Maximize vehicle efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions around the globe while meeting a variety of customer needs.
  • Help make electrified vehicles become more mainstream.
  • Collaborate with others and proactively look for sustainability opportunities that collectively drive economic, environmental and social improvements.

GM’s fuel-efficient and growing electrified vehicle lineup complements an environmental commitment to responsible manufacturing, from using 105 megawatts of renewable energy to reducing emissions at our plants.  The U.S. EPA recognized us three years in a row with its ENERGY STAR(R) Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, and for raising climate change awareness.

We know it will take collaboration and inclusive leadership to tackle climate change, and we remain committed to helping drive a cleaner energy future in the U.S. and beyond.