ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
PUMA BITUMEN’S APPROACH
TO CARBONNEUTRALITY
Puma Bitumen has completed a lifecycle analysis of its bitumen supply chain to report accurate emissions for each of the company’s products.
ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO DR ERIK DENNEMAN, GLOBAL TECHNICAL MANAGER AT PUMA BITUMEN, ABOUT THE COMPANY’S LATEST MOVE TO HELP PAVEMENT PROVIDERS ACCOUNT FOR THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS
T
he race to cut carbon emissions is gaining momentum globally. Industries, including the construction industry, are increasingly responding to the urgency placed by governments, as well as by their investors, to implement measures aimed at achieving net zero emissions. Reinforced by the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, last year proved to be a banner year for corporate action on climate change. As of February 2022, there were 2000 businesses and organisations worldwide working with the global Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set clear paths to reduce their emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals. This number stood at 1200 companies two years prior. In a collaborative report with the University of Oxford, the UK-based nonprofit Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit estimates that at least one fifth (21 per
cent) of the world’s 2000 largest public companies have now committed to meet net zero targets by 2050. In Australia, nearly a third of the 300 largest listed companies have committed to net zero emissions by 2050, according to Macquarie Group data. The fresh urgency across the corporate world follows renewed momentum among investors as research points to a quickening pace in global warming. Net zero emissions, in simple words, is agreeing to not add new green-house gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. This can be done by reducing the emissions or balancing new emissions by using natural carbon sinks like forests and oceans to absorb them. The UN has asked the world to aim for net zero emissions by 2050, which would help limit global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial era levels and in turn limit the impact of climate change.
Dr Erik Denneman, Global Technical Manager, Puma Bitumen.
ACCOUNTING FOR EMISSIONS While setting targets is a first step, companies also need detailed plans on how emission reductions will be achieved. Within the world of civil construction, roadsonline.com.au
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