One of the world’s leading suppliers of diesel engines has some noteworthy plans for the future. When Cummins Inc. unveiled its new “PLANET 2050” strategy late last week, it signaled an important focus on the future for both the company and the environment.
Make no mistake, the goals Cummins leaders presented at last week’s employee town hall in Indianapolis are big. They are ambitious. Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger said that the company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, water consumption by 30% and lifetime greenhouse gas emission from new products by 25%, all by 2030.
That’s not a long time to make such dramatic changes. There will be challenges ahead, but the company is intent on tackling them and finding a way. And the aspirations go even higher. The longer-term goals, targeted for 2050, include carbon neutrality and near-zero pollution, along with eliminating waste in both products and processes.
While they may not know how they are getting to each of those goals yet, it’s commendable that the company is focusing so intently on combating climate change and conserving natural resources. Linebarger acknowledged the company’s responsibility in “improving the price we pay in environmental footprint for the wealth we deliver.”
That’s a big footprint. It won’t be easy. Cummins operates in three of the world’s top polluting countries. That provides an opportunity, though, with plenty of room to enact change on the environment.
The fact that Cummins is meeting or exceeding the Paris Agreement goals for climate change, despite the United States planning to withdraw from the agreement on Nov. 4, 2020, is also worth noting. The company is relying on the guidance of science as they look to the future, setting their goals in accordance of the agreement regardless of what may happen next year.
Linebarger said that the company will need to make “incredibly dramatic” changes to get to where they want to be. They have to find a way to make their engines do the same or more work while being cleaner and having a smaller footprint. They have to come up with new technology that won’t dramatically increase customer cost. Despite the challenges and questions, he’s optimistic Cummins can meet their new goals.
That optimism is worth spreading. Even working toward carbon neutrality and near-zero pollution is a huge step. It’s positive momentum moving forward with the potential for major environmental impact and benefits.
A company such as Cummins taking these measures, working so hard on an environmental sustainability strategy, should be an inspiration to other companies to do the same.