As the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference gets underway in Cancun, Mexico this week, the holy grail of a global, binding agreement on climate change has once again become the topic of discussion.
But this year the business community business – which lately has seemed more committed to meaningful action on climate change – was the first to take substantial steps towards curbing global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Consumer Good Forum (CGF), a Paris-based organization that represents more than 400 large consumer goods manufacturing firms and retailers, has announced member organizations have pledged to meet two lofty goals: net zero deforestation by 2020 and the phasing-out of hydroflourocarbons (HFC, a potent greenhouse gas). Some studies have stated deforestation alone accounts for nearly a fifth of global GHG emissions.
GFC is no lightweight in terms of global influence. The group of companies such as Coca-Cola, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, L’Oréal, Metro, Pepsi Co, Procter & Gamble, Johnson, Sobeys, Unilever and Walmart – as well as Intelex clients Kraft, Nestlé and Sara Lee – brings CEOs and senior management together to pursue the CGF mandate of achieving “better lives through better business”. Sustainability is one of the group’s five key strategic priorities.
To meet its net zero deforestation target, CGF is developing action plans addressing the challenges of sourcing commodities such as soya, palm oil, beef, paper and board, some of the leading resources attributed to mass deforestation.
In addition to mitigating environmental impacts, the GFC pledge is expected become a substantial boon for famers who grow crops sustainably as well as a growing segment of the refrigeration industry that works with non-HFC refrigerants.
