In 1993, DuPont was the first company to sign on to the U.S. EPA/DOE Climate Wise program. Now, the company has reached its goal to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by the year 2000. Although production increased by over 35 percent during this period, total energy consumption remained flat.
At a PEW Center for Global Climate Change conference this month,
DuPont announced its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65
percent by 2010, while holding energy use at 1990 levels. Dennis Reilly, COO,
also announced the company’s plans to supply 10 percent of its energy from
renewable sources by 2010.
If DuPont were to meet 10 percent of its energy needs with renewable energy now,
the company would consume 17 percent of total U.S. capacity and four percent of
world capacity for wind energy. To increase renewable energy capacity significantly, Reilly emphasized the need for incentives. At current prices, using renewable
energy carries a cost penalty. For DuPont, it would mean an increased cost of $60-90
million dollars a year.
“Credit for early action” and other incentives offer the possibility of eliminating
cost penalties and encouraging, and possibly accelerating, the growth of cost-
effective sources of renewable energy,” he explained. Reilley called on Congress
to pass legislation offering incentives to companies that take steps to cut emissions before the Kyoto Protocol is passed. The EPA is developing a system to reward
businesses that excel in environmental management, including controlling emissions.
PEW Center for Global Climate Change: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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