Cognizant announces its target year for net-zero emissions

The leading information technology consultancy group, Cognizant has announced its latest target for emissions reduction. The company has outlined when it aims to reach net-zero as well as its ongoing strategy for environmental, social and governance (ESG), to make the business more sustainable. 

The company has provided an ambitious goal as it expects to reach net-zero by the end of 2030. With such an important goal in sight, Cognizant calls for global operations emissions to be reduced by 50%, including those associated with its supply chain. 

‘Climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying’, says Brian Humphries, Chief Executive Officer at Cognizant. ‘As a global company, we take seriously our responsibility to leverage our expertise and resources to help address climate change. I am proud to announce that Cognizant commits to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. We will also extend our expertise in cloud, IoT and AI to help our Global 2000 clients meet their sustainability goals, reduce their carbon footprints and sharpen their competitiveness’. 

The company’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG, Sophia Mendelsohn, also says, ‘We designed Cognizant's net-zero roadmap to marshal the global resources of a Fortune 200 technology services company to help accelerate the world's movement to a low-carbon economy. [...] Through our goal, we will strengthen the demand for renewable energy and energy-efficient technology’.

Cognizant has broken its overall net-zero initiative into three key areas for improvement:

• Developing science-based targets that are in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to a maximum overall increase of 1.5 degrees celsius and submit third-party validation for legitimate success
• The planned expansion of solar energy use and new power purchase agreements to ensure clean energy use across its value chain, while it also remains a member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA)—a global initiative to encourage the procurement of 100% renewable energy.
• Increasing its overall energy efficiency by investing in new efficiency equipment and technologies across its global network of offices and data centres.

To find out more about Cognizant’s net-zero initiative, take a look at the sustainability section of its website. 

For more sustainability insights, check out the latest issue of Sustainability Magazine.