Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week - Baker Hughes’ CSO

November 12, 2024

undefined mins

Allyson Anderson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes, explores the company’s path to net zero at Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC

Presenting a fireside chat at Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC, Allyson Anderson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes, highlighted the company’s commitment to sustainable energy and its strategies to support the global transition to net zero.

In her talk, Allyson details the company’s role as a technology solutions provider in the energy sector, its ambitious carbon reduction targets and the ways Baker Hughes is embedding sustainability throughout its operations.

Baker Hughes’ legacy and its role in the energy transition

Baker Hughes, with more than a century of experience, has evolved from traditional oilfield services to a diversified technology company offering advanced energy solutions.

“We're the company that has the solutions versus a company with the challenges” Allyson explains, emphasising that Baker Hughes leverages its expertise to address today’s climate challenges.

The company’s portfolio includes critical technologies for hydrogen, geothermal and carbon capture applications — tools that play a pivotal role in the clean energy transition.

Allyson underscores Baker Hughes’ history of innovation, noting that “Baker Hughes invented the very first compressor to compress hydrogen over 100 years ago”.

This expertise positions Baker Hughes as a key player in developing scalable solutions for carbon-intensive industries.

Overcoming challenges in scaling sustainable technologies

Allyson explains how, on the path to net zero, “as you scale any technology, you've got certain barriers that you've got to address as they come up”, such as direct air capture (DAC).

She continues: “Society needs technology faster than what anybody can really deploy it.”

Beyond technical challenges, Allyson highlights the complexities of societal acceptance and the need for thoughtful engagement with local communities when deploying energy projects.

Using her background as a geologist, she underscores that technology implementation must be carefully managed to avoid fostering distrust.

“An energy transition isn't meant to be abrupt. It's not an on-and-off switch,” she adds. And so we've got to be very reasonable on how we think about transitioning,” she warnes, stressing the importance of creating an effective approach that doesn’t leave any communities behind.

Allyson Anderson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes

Empowering customers through sustainable products and services

Baker Hughes’ commitment to helping clients achieve their sustainability goals extends to developing tools and consultancy services tailored to reduce emissions.

The company’s “sustainability service” approach allows clients to optimise their operations and minimise their environmental impact.

Allyson explains that Baker Hughes’ sustainability service desk has a “24-hour cycle of response time to answer customer requests related to emissions”.

This service has seen significant demand, as “three years ago, we got about 30 requests for emissions work” and now the desk receives over 400, highlighting the appetite for tailored sustainability solutions.

To support sustainable decision-making, Baker Hughes incorporates emissions data into product bids, giving customers insights on how they can reduce their carbon footprint with specific products.

Allyson Anderson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes

Embedding sustainability within Baker Hughes’ culture

Baker Hughes takes a multi-faceted approach to embed sustainability across its 58,000 employees, setting emissions reduction as a core performance metric for all staff.

“Every employee has got a scope one and two reduction associated with their annual performance,” Allyson explains.

The company also has a “Carbon Out” programme, which is “an employee-driven, grassroots-based programme” that enables employees to propose and implement emissions reduction projects.

Because of this, the company allows employees to become more involved with sustainability work.

Allyson also highlights Baker Hughes’ unique commitment to avoid carbon offsets and virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs).

Instead, the company focuses on real, measurable emissions reductions.

“We’re a zero-offset company,” she explains, describing Baker Hughes’ rigorous standards for renewable energy sourcing.

By avoiding offsets and investing in direct emissions cuts, Baker Hughes aims to ensure that every reduction directly contributes to its sustainability targets.

Allyson Anderson Book at Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC

Key takeaways for sustainable business strategies

Allyson concludes with a message of optimism, encouraging companies to start their sustainability journey without the assumption of significant costs.

She stresses that much of the value in sustainability comes from engaging employees and finding innovative solutions internally.

“Empower your people,” she advises, sharing her belief that companies can make impactful changes without additional expense by leveraging internal expertise and resources.

Allyson’s talk at Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC reinforces Baker Hughes’ commitment to innovation in sustainable energy and its role as a proactive agent in the journey to net zero.

Through a combination of advanced technology, employee engagement and customer-focused services, Baker Hughes aims to support a resilient and sustainable future for the energy sector and beyond.