ISS has committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions within scope 1 and 2 by 2030 and full-scope net zero emissions by 2040, including its full supply chain.
The global workplace experience and facility management company has also pledged to offer full-scope reporting of its environmental footprint.
ISS says it is already fully engaged in sustainability efforts within the entire ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) scope across the more than 30 countries worldwide that the company operates in, and is now accelerating its climate and environmental efforts even further with the ambitious net zero targets that encompass all activity across the business, including the full scope of the company’s supply chain.
In the coming years, numerous global activities within food sustainability, water and waste reductions and energy management will be initiated – both within ISS’s organisation and in close cooperation with its customers and suppliers.
Jacob Aarup-Andersen, Group CEO at ISS World Services A/S, said: “At ISS, we recognise the full scope of the ongoing climate and environmental crisis. And we are strongly committed to carrying out our operations and delivering our services in a sustainable way. This is why we are now being even more ambitious and proactive in our sustainability efforts – with a defined set of bold global targets as our guiding star in the coming years.
“In alignment with our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) we are right now in the process of establishing our specific science-based targets within all three scopes based on our full scope baseline of 2019. This will enable us to develop reduction strategies, working in partnerships with our 40,000 customers and our 80,000 suppliers worldwide.”
As a key element of ISS’s roadmap to net zero, the company will boost its food sustainability programme.
Aarup-Andersen added: “As a major player within food solutions for the global workplace, we have an obligation to drive food sustainability. We will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food we serve globally by 25 per cent by 2030, from our 2019 baseline. In addition, we will halve the amount of food waste by 2027. In close cooperation with our clients and innovative technology partners, we are already rolling out concepts using artificial intelligence, other smart solutions and data to manage and reduce food waste and emissions. These efforts will be intensified going forward.”
ISS’s roadmap to net zero also includes electrification (among other sustainable approaches) of its global fleet of approx. 20,000 vehicles, increasing the renewable energy share in ISS’s own buildings, and reducing water in cleaning services.
Aarup-Andersen concluded: “During the coming months, and while we are defining our specific science-based targets, we will move forward at full speed with new concrete initiatives. This also goes for the two other areas within the full ESG scope, not least the Social part. With ISS’s 120-year legacy as a people company, social sustainability has always been in our DNA, and we have great initiatives in the pipeline, for instance within Diversity and Inclusion. The need for a decisive change towards a more sustainable world is clear and urgent. ISS is ready to champion that change.”
