Partner Profile
| United Technologies Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hartford, CT |
| Goal | United Technologies Corporation pledges to reduce total global GHG emissions by 12 percent from 2006 to 2010. United Technologies achieved its initial goal by reducing global GHG emissions by 46 percent per dollar revenue from 2001 to 2006. |
| Environmental Web Site | |
| Company Description United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is a diversified company whose products include Carrier heating, air conditioning and refrigeration; Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems and industrial products; Otis elevators and escalators; Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines; Sikorsky helicopters; UTC Fire & Security systems; and UTC Power fuel cells. UTC is a member of the Fortune 50 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average index, employs nearly 215,000 people worldwide, and had 2006 revenues of $47.8 billion. | |
| Reasons for Joining Climate Leaders At UTC, we believe that climate change is the most critical environmental concern facing the world. How society addresses the challenge will determine the quality of life for future generations. The world must not only reduce the emission of greenhouse gases but also find ways to adapt to a changing climate. While this might place some restrictions on business, it offers many opportunities to develop climate-friendly technologies, processes, and products. UTC has been working on several fronts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Internally, we have reduced the rate of energy consumption in our factories, and incorporated energy-saving innovations into products and services from every one of our businesses. Externally, we have partnered with groups such as EPA Climate Leaders as well as U.S. and international authorities in the public, nonprofit, and academic sectors to draw attention to climate change and advocate sustainable development approaches. UTC made the strategic business decision to join the EPA Climate Leaders Program in 2003, voluntarily committing to reduce GHG emissions by 16 percent per dollar of revenue from 2001 to 2006, for many reasons: the alignment with the UTC Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) policy and goals, the flexibility of the program, the technical assistance offered by EPA in developing and reviewing a GHG inventory, and Climate Leaders alignment with the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development Greenhouse Gas Protocol. The Climate Leaders Program also offers recognition for UTC's energy and GHG reduction efforts. | |
| GHG Reductions Before Joining Climate Leaders UTC has had EH&S performance goals since 1992. UTC's original conservation plan, announced in 1998, called for the company to reduce both water and energy use by 25 percent, as a percent of sales, by 2007. The company reported in 2003 at the Earth Technologies Forum in Washington, D.C., that it had exceeded these goals four years ahead of schedule by achieving a 27 percent energy reduction and a 34 percent water use reduction through 2002. UTC then increased its goals to 40 percent reductions, as a percent of sales, for both energy and water, which the company met. United Technologies has achieved a 19 percent absolute reduction in energy consumption since 1997 while doubling revenue. This absolute reduction translates into an energy intensity reduction of 56 percent. UTC is proud to demonstrate that deep reductions in energy consumption can be achieved even with significantly increased revenue. Over the same period, UTC comparably reduced water consumption by 49 percent, wastes of all kinds by 24 percent, and chemical releases to air by 44 percent. Normalizing for revenue, water intensity is down by 72 percent, wastes intensity by 58 percent, and chemical releases intensity by 69 percent. | |
| Approach to GHG Management Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in factories is the focus of UTC's 2007 EH&S goals. Once again UTC has announced a voluntary effort to reduce GHG emissions worldwide by 12 percent by 2010. The reductions will be accomplished primarily through energy conservation. UTC has committed to invest $100 million dollars in energy conservation and co-generation projects over the next four years. The initiatives supported by Climate Leaders to develop a long-term comprehensive climate strategy are consistent with UTC's continuous improvement efforts. UTC has fully aligned its goals and reporting system with the WRI/WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol. UTC is a founding member of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and the U.S. Green Building Council. UTC joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 2004 and is co-chairing a three-year council project that envisions energy self-sufficient and zero-net-energy buildings by 2050. The project was announced in Beijing in March 2006. UTC has received both corporate and business unit recognition for its efforts: - UTC has been named to the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes every year since the indexes began in 1999. - In March 2005 and 2006, UTC was selected as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. - In both 2005 and 2006, UTC was named as one of 100 companies in the new KLD Global Climate 100 Index, intended to alert investors to businesses that are expected to provide solutions to climate change. - In August 2005, Otis, a unit of UTC, was the first elevator company ever to receive a Green Product Award from the China Environmental Protection Foundation. The group recognized Otis' Gen2" belted machine-room-less elevator system for its "excellent quality in energy efficiency and environmental protection." | |
| Progress Towards Goal Completion As a result of these efforts, UTC has significantly reduced its revenue-normalized emissions, far surpassing its initial Climate Leaders goal of a 16 percent reduction from 2001 to 2006. UTC's overall approach to productivity in the business is doing more with less. This includes conservation, which UTC believes is the fastest, quickest, cheapest, and most reliable way to solve the global warming problem. The energy savings have not been realized from any single project or technology but rather a collection of many specific projects designed to meet the needs of each facility. UTC facilities around the world have reported savings from improvements in manufacturing operations, behavioral modifications, building envelope upgrades, lighting efficiency improvements, HVAC system upgrades and compressed air system improvements. The benefits from energy efficiency improvements include GHG emission reductions, energy cost savings, manufacturing process improvements and maintenance savings. All improvements contribute to UTC's ability to compete in today's global market. UTC has a disciplined and proven approach to profitability and environmental responsibility. UTC developed the next set of reduction goals to continue to build on its culture of continuous improvement and performance and to extend its focus across the value chain to include relationships with suppliers and customers. These 2010 goals are absolute (not normalized to revenue) and include the 12 percent GHG reduction goal, a 10 percent water consumption goal and a 20 percent reduction in non-GHG air emissions. UTC has also added EH&S expectations for suppliers, as well as product efficiency, packaging and materials of concern reduction targets. The company looks forward to the challenge. | |
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