Univar Advances its Actions to Support Sustainable Practices

Date: 07/10/2024
A human hand partially painted green and holding a small plant

By establishing inaugural Scope 3 emissions intensity reduction goal, Univar pursuits more sustainable practices within its business and supply chain.

The international specialty chemicals manufacturer Univar Solutions LLC has recently announced that it has advanced its actions to support the sustainable practices through its supply chain: as a matter of fact, the company has established a Scope 3 emissions intensity reduction goal and launched EcoScope, a supplier collaboration programme focused on reducing Scope 3 emissions intensity.

The global Scope 1 and 2 emissions of Univar decreased by 19.9% from the baseline during 2023 and, in April of the same year, the company became a member of Together for Sustainability (TfS) – a joint initiative of chemical companies centred around advancing and aligning sustainability practices in the supply chain of the chemicals sector. The new goal of Univar is now to reduce its Scope 3 emissions intensity by 15% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions across all scopes by 2050.

“I am extremely proud of our progress in meeting our environmental commitments and I am also particularly excited about this next step in our journey: with our new goal of 15% intensity reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2030 against a 2023 baseline, we are focused on driving sustainable practices forward and looking to deliver environmental value throughout our business and global supply chain. Our partnership with the Together for Sustainability initiative will then play a crucial role in the success of our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts,” has stated Alexa Colin, the general counsel of Univar Solutions.

By joining forces with fifty-two other specialty chemicals and ingredients manufacturers and distributors to collectively promote sustainable changes and achieve ecological targets, the Together for Sustainability membership will allow Univar Solutions to strengthen data sharing and supply chain advancement in major areas, including broader value chain emission reductions and a chemical sector Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Guideline.

“We have found an excellent sustainability partner in the initiative: their exclusive focus on the chemical and ingredient industry enables us to access and share best practices among peer organisations and apply consistent methodologies on crucial sustainability issues, such as PCF. Many of our supplier partners are also members. Our membership will bring mutual benefits by fostering transparent and consistent processes and methods that collectively improve our sustainability results. Ultimately, we know that our customers seeking to source sustainably will benefit from our membership,” has added Kelly Gilroy, the vice-president of Commercial Sustainability at Univar Solutions. “We also achieved the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS in Europe in 2023 and we are in progress for North America. These certifications are key to our strategy of supporting the transition of our supplier partners and customers to sustainable, traceable and deforestation-free supply chains. It covers supply chains for all kinds of biomass – including agricultural and forest biomass – biogenic waste and residues, non-biological renewable materials and recycled carbon-based materials. By increasing our certifications of materials with sustainable attributes, we are helping to improve supply chain sustainability in the chemical industry.”