At Carrier, our vision is to create solutions that make a positive impact on people and our planet. While the COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges, it also underscores the importance of the work we do as the world leader in healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions. 

 

Our company is well positioned to address three of the world’s most critical challenges: climate change, the need for healthy indoor environments, and the safe distribution of food and vaccines. As we address the challenges of today, we are committed to keeping our eyes on tomorrow – and leading the way for future generations. The reality is that without concerted action to address profound societal issues such as climate change, the negative consequences to our planet and our future will be irreversible. But I’m encouraged and excited by significant and meaningful action from governments, corporations and nongovernmental organizations alike to tackle these issues with new thinking and new technology – and at Carrier, we are in a unique position to do our part to make a positive impact.  

Today, HVAC contributes an estimated 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste is also a major contributor. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. In fact, more than one-third of all food produced is wasted every year, resulting in an estimated 4.4 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions. As the global leader in these spaces, we are seizing the opportunity – and the responsibility – to drive change through smart, sustainable and efficient solutions.

 

In 2020, we met or exceeded our prior targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and hazardous waste generation and to increase recycling. And, just months after becoming a stand-alone company, we announced our 2030 environmental, social and governance goals. Building on three decades of achieving environmental targets, we’ve set new goals around the areas of people, planet and our communities, and have put meaningful metrics behind them.

 

We recognize our goals are ambitious, but challenging ourselves to think bigger and be better is what we do every day. We are investing in our factories and operations, optimizing existing methods and innovating new digitally enabled solutions to drive down our energy consumption while helping our customers – from large enterprises to individual homeowners – reduce their carbon footprints. 

I’m confident that these actions and our collective commitment will allow us to deliver on these bold new goals.

 

In addition to the challenge of climate change, we have also reached a critical juncture for change across our society. The long-standing need for meaningful action to address social injustice and racial equity has reached a tipping point. Diversity and inclusion have always been integral at Carrier, but we understand that we can and must do more to create an environment where everyone feels like they _belong, which is our diversity and inclusion brand. We are driving change through our diversity and inclusion strategy with key actions, metrics, accountability, and a culture that respects and includes all employees. I am proud of the progress we are making.

 

ESG is fundamental to our culture and business, and is at the forefront of everything we do.