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Global cosmetics giant The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) has joined the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, pledging to switch its entire global fleet of vehicles to electric models by 2030.
ELC is the first global beauty brand to join The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, which brings together companies companies that committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicle (EV) fleets.
The company said that the transition of its corporate fleet to 100 per cent electric “will greatly contribute towards reducing Scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which supports progress towards its 2030 science-based target (SBT) and sends a strong market signal that there is demand for EVs from the business community”.
“The Estée Lauder Companies has a deep commitment to helping accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future, and the electrification of our corporate fleet is an important next step in our sustainability journey,” said Nancy Mahon, senior vice president for global corporate citizenship and sustainability at ELC. “Our hope is that our commitment to clean transportation will not only help to reduce our impact and engage our employees in our commitment, but also inspire similar action by others in the industry and beyond.”
ELC said the pledge would cover its entire global corporate fleet of both owned and leased sales and executive vehicles.
It added that the move would build on its wider efforts to decarbonise its own operations. In 2020, the company said it had achieved its goal to source 100 per cent renewable electricity for its direct operations, reaching the target it set on joining the RE100 global corporate renewable energy initiative.
The company said that transitioning ELC’s global corporate fleet away from traditional internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs would help to tackle one of ELC’s more significant sources of its Scope 1 emissions.
The move was welcomed by Sandra Roling, director of transport at the Climate Group. “As the first prestige beauty company to join the EV100 global initiative, The Estée Lauder Companies’ commitment to EV100 will help to elevate the initiative and encourage more companies to make the commitment to fully electric,” she said. “ELC’s commitment today further underlines the demand signal leading businesses are sending – the future of road transportation is electric.”
ELC said it has already begun implementation of a roadmap to meet the new commitment by 2030. Within its Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, the company has ordered EVs for testing and deployment and will continue to work with site managers to deploy the charging infrastructure needed to support its fleet.
While ELC’s latest commitment addresses its directly controlled fleet, the company added that it is also furthering its efforts to reduce emissions from transportation and distribution activities that contribute to the company’s Scope 3 value chain emissions. Efforts to move to low-emissions vehicles in itds supply chain are underway in partnership with ELC’s third-party partners and suppliers, the company said.
As part of this process it has already begun transitioning local transportation vehicles from diesel trucks to EVs in regions such as Canada and Switzerland, it added.
In addition, the company is also looking to encourage more of its employees to switch to EVs and is continuing to invest in the installations of EV charging stations at many of its owned facilities worldwide, including at sites in Melville, New York; Blaine, Minnesota; Petersfield, United Kingdom; Markham, Ontario; and its new distribution centre in Galgenen, Switzerland.