Climate & Energy

Enabling a low-carbon economy

Stop using fossils

Our company enables a low-carbon economy through everything from sustainable materials and resins, to new farming methods, to game-changing renewable energy innovations. In fact, nearly two-thirds of our entire portfolio comprises what we call Brighter Living Solutions - products and services that have a specific environmental or social benefit compared to mainstream reference solutions.

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Renewable energy

At DSM, we believe in doing well by good. In fact, increasingly we find that taking actions that benefit our planet are also good for the bottom line – thus making sustainability a key driver in our purpose of creating brighter lives for all. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate agrees. Its New Climate Economy Report 2018 estimates that bold climate action could yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through to 2030. Here are just some examples of how this works in practice at DSM. 

Greener cargo nets

The airline industry is desperate to reduce carbon emissions and fuel costs. Our Dyneema® super-strong fiber is now meeting that need thanks to our partnership with AmSafe Bridport to develop lightweight air cargo nets. Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™ features a unique combination of extreme strength, low weight and outstanding durability. For us it therefore not only offers the greatest strength but “the greenest strength™”. In fact, from cradle-to-gate, Dyneema products deliver the lowest carbon footprint per unit of strength. Which is why air cargo nets made with Dyneema reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions while reducing operation handling time and improving health and safety of ramp workers. A great result for all.

Minimizing methane emissions

As the world’s demand for protein continues to grow, so too does the amount of methane emitted by the cows we raise. To tackle this challenge the team at DSM developed an innovation that when added to dairy cattle feed reduces methane emissions by 30% - with no compromise on animal welfare, feed consumption or performance. When you consider that cows accounts for 4% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, that’s good news for us all.

Ultra-sustainable coatings

Our Uralac® Ultra resin for powder coating MDF is a real game-changer for the paint industry. Not only does it bind the paint together, delivering beautiful, effective and long-lasting performance in everything from kids’ furniture to bathroom cabinets, it’s far better for planet and people than solvent-based coatings. In fact, Uralac Ultra contains no toxic solvents and has a carbon footprint five times lower than traditional coatings (mainly because it's cured at much lower temperatures).

If the entire MDF industry used Uralac Ultra we could save two million tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 237,500 car trips around the world.

The bio-renewable age

We believe it’s possible to create a world where affordable, renewable energy is a reality for all. The world needs competitive alternative energy systems like sustainable biomass, solar, wind and hydro. At DSM we’re playing our part through science that creates more powerful solar panels and biofuels made from plants.

Advocating

When it comes to climate, we’re an action taker and a movement maker – determined to play our part in shaping the low-carbon agenda. It starts with our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals,  but it continues through everything from advocating carbon pricing policies to working alongside governments, NGOs, fellow private companies, and anyone else that can help us reach our goal of a low-carbon world for all.

We advocate consistent, long-term governmental policies that make a low-carbon economy a reality. We believe that government policies and initiatives should encourage low carbon innovations, improvement of energy efficiency and the scaling of renewable energy; innovate fiscal systems and policies, including  (but not limited to) carbon pricing and removal of fossil fuel subsidies; increase transparency and disclosure of financial investments and policies regarding the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy; and educate the public on the impact of climate change.

We’re directly involved in several climate action initiatives and on the board of three prominent European public-private partnerships: the Bio-based Industries Consortium; the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE); and the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem). 

CDP

We report our climate actions to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which uses the power of measurement, transparency, information disclosure and accountability to drive positive change in the world of business and investment.

Carbon Pricing Champions

As a Carbon Pricing Champion we work with the UN Global Compact to advocate carbon pricing, set an internal carbon price and report on our progress (in our Annual Report).

CPLC

The Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) is a World Bank initiative that brings together different organizations to share their experiences of working with carbon pricing – and advocate effective carbon pricing systems and policies. Our CEO Feike Sijbesma was Co-Chair of the CPLC from its formation in 2016 until April 2018, when his term ended and he was appointed Chair of the new High-Level Leadership Forum on Carbon Pricing and Competitiveness (supported by the CPLC). In recognition of his role at the CPLC role, Feike has also been appointed a Climate Leader by the World Bank Group.

LCTPi

The Low Carbon Technology Partnerships Initiative (LCTPi), is a multi-stakeholder platform for developing and deploying large-scale, low-carbon technologies. At DSM we’ve joined the below50 campaign, uniting companies that produce, use and/or invest in fuels that are at least 50% less carbon intensive than fossil fuels.

PPCA

The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) is a global initiative of governments, businesses and organizations working to advance the transition away from coal power generation. Members are committed to working together for EU and OECD countries to phase out coal-fired electricity generation no later than 2030, with the rest of the world following no later than 2050.

The Prince of Wales's CLG

The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) works under the leadership of The Prince of Wales to advocate climate change action with policymakers and businesses - both within the EU and globally.

RE100

The Renewable Energy 100 (RE100) aims to unite businesses in committing to using 100% renewable electricity (which includes the setting of bold intermediate targets). 

TCFD

At DSM we were among the first ten global leading companies that committed to implementing the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board's Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) within three years.

WEF CEO Climate Leaders

DSM is a Strategic Partner of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Together with 79 CEOs, we released an open letter to governments “Let’s partner on climate action”.

We Mean Business

We Mean Business is a coalition that invites hundreds of companies and investors to commit to low-carbon initiatives.

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