Clean Fuel News

Republic Services sets waste industry's most ambitious climate goal yet

Originally posted as a press release from Republic Services | July 19, 2019

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) today announced its next-generation sustainability strategy, which includes seven ambitious, long-term goals designed to address critical global macrotrends related to the Company's most important sustainability risks and opportunities.

"2018 was a milestone year for Republic Services as we marked the achievement of our time-bound sustainability goals. Today, we're setting an even higher bar by establishing 2030 goals that we believe have the potential to significantly benefit the environment and society while continuing to strengthen the foundation of our business," said Donald W. Slager, chief executive officer. "The Republic team's commitment to innovation and passion for our Blue Planet^® will serve as the engines propelling us forward to achieve more than ever before."

Our Blue Planet: 2030 Goals

• Safety Amplified:
• Zero employee fatalities
• Reduce OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) to 2.0 or less by 2030
• Engaged Workforce: Achieve and maintain employee engagement scores at or above 88 percent by 2030
• Climate Leadership: Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions 35 percent by 2030 (2017 baseline year), aligned with SBTi¹
• Circular Economy: Increase recovery of key materials by 40 percent on a combined basis by 2030 (2017 baseline year)
• Regenerative Landfills: Increase biogas sent to beneficial reuse by 50 percent by 2030 (2017 baseline year)
• Charitable Giving: Positively impact 20 million people by 2030

The Company undertook a comprehensive approach to the development of its new sustainability goals. This assessment included an analysis of global trends, identification of business model dependencies and engagement with key stakeholders. The Company is also committing to increased transparency and reporting, starting with its recently launched 2018 Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Report and an expanded 2018 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Report.

"We've aligned our new, more ambitious set of sustainability goals with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals that are important to our business and where we foresee the greatest opportunity to create value at scale," said Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability. "We also took the extra step of setting a science-based climate leadership goal aligned with the Science-Based Targets initiative, which we believe helps ensure we're doing our part to mitigate climate change."

Republic Services continues to earn notable recognition for sustainability and corporate responsibility achievements, as demonstrated by inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) – North America and World Indices, Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP) Global Climate and the Supplier Climate Management Levels and Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies list. Republic was also named to Forbes World's Most Innovative Companies list, Forbes Best Employers for Women list, and Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Companies list.

To learn more about Republic's Blue Planet sustainability platform or to download the 2018 Sustainability Report, visit RepublicServices.com/sustainability.

¹ SBTi, or Science-Based Targets initiative, is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc. is an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste disposal. Through its subsidiaries, Republic's collection companies, recycling centers, transfer stations and landfills focus on providing effective solutions to make responsive waste disposal effortless for its 14 million customers. We'll handle it from here.^®, the brand's promise, lets customers know they can count on Republic to provide a superior experience while fostering a sustainable Blue Planet for future generations to enjoy a cleaner, safer and healthier world.

For more information, visit the Republic Services website at RepublicServices.com. "Like" Republic on Facebook at Facebook.com/RepublicServices and follow on Twitter @RepublicService and Instagram @republic_services.

Read the original release on the Republic Services website