Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the company’s near and long-term targets for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The targets support the ambitious goal to limit planetary warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“Companies have an important role to play in driving the transition to a green economy,” said Agilent President and CEO Mike McMullen. “Having measurable goals for this work is critical to ensuring sustainable growth that will enable communities and business to thrive for generations to come.”

SBTi is an independent organization that validates company emissions targets to ensure they meet the criteria required to prevent the worst effects of climate change. The SBTi partners with the CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute, and World Wide Fund for Nature in defining and validating targets grounded in climate science.

Agilent publicly committed to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets in 2021. This important goal was made in addition to adopting the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines in 2004, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) recommendations in 2020, and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework in 2021.

Below are Agilent’s SBTi-approved targets, all of which are measured from a base year of 2019.

2030 Targets

• Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50%
• Reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, capital goods, upstream transportation and distribution, business travel, and employee commuting by 30%

2050 Target

• Reduce absolute Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions by 95%

Since 2014, Agilent has reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by one third by investing in renewable energy sources, reducing energy consumption, and transitioning to energy-efficient systems and technology. In 2022, the company launched a plan to reduce Scope 3 emissions in the supply chain, which includes creating a baseline of supplier emissions contributions, educating suppliers about net-zero targets, and planning workshops and forums to support their goal setting and progress.

“We are also helping our customers on their journey toward net zero,” said Neil Rees, head of ESG programs at Agilent. “We’ve developed innovative lab products, software tools, and technology that reduce consumption of fossil fuels and solvents. And we’ve added My Green Lab’s ACT label to more instruments, adopted greener packaging, and expanded our instrument recycling and refurbishing program across our global operations.”

Agilent reports on its progress toward net-zero targets in its annual ESG report. See the latest report, which also includes information on Agilent’s sustainable supply chain operations, end-of-life product management, packaging, and green logistics, among other topics.