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WEC recognizes Carrier with the 2024 WEC Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development

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Award ceremony in November 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the WEC Gold Medal 

WASHINGTON, D.C. APRIL 22, 2024. The World Environment Center (WEC) today announced the WEC 40th Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development is awarded to Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE:CARR), global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions. The WEC Gold Medal Award will be presented at an in-person ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2024.

Since 1985, the WEC Gold Medal Award has been presented annually to a global company that has integrated sustainability into its business practices, created ground-breaking solutions to critical environmental and social challenges, and demonstrated global leadership to accelerate progress toward a sustainable future.

An independent Gold Medal Jury comprised of recognized sustainability experts selected Carrier in recognition of its ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, including helping its customers avoid more than 1 gigaton of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. The Jury awarded Carrier for its commitment to sustainability reflected in the solutions offered in their products and services, investments made towards climate and energy innovations and continued commitment to their 2030 goals.

Gold Medal Jury Chair Linda Fisher, former Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer of Dupont, said, “On behalf of the Jury, I extend my sincere congratulations to Carrier for its thoughtful approach to sustainability. Their commitments coupled with global initiatives and partnerships have a far-reaching and positive sustainability impact around the world.”

In acknowledging receipt of the prestigious global sustainability award, Hakan Yilmaz, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer at Carrier said “We are honored to be the recipient of the 40th Gold Medal award, a recognition that shines a light on Carrier’s longtime commitment to innovating groundbreaking technologies and solutions that advance sustainability around the world. As a global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions, we are reimagining environments for today and tomorrow to create a positive impact on people and our planet.

“We congratulate Carrier and salute the company’s deep understanding of its important role in getting the world to net zero,” said WEC President and CEO Margaret O’Gorman, “It is fitting that the 40th Gold Medal Award recognizes innovation by a company that so closely aligns with WEC’s values of empowering sustainability leadership through intelligence, empowerment and action.”

The Jury is independent of WEC and its programs, and is composed of international leaders from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and retired industry professionals. The winner is selected through a global competition among nominated companies invited to apply for the Award. Previous recipients of the WEC Gold Medal Award include Jacobs, AB InBev, Microsoft, the Ford Motor Company, Trane Technologies (formerly Ingersoll Rand), Ecolab, HP Inc., Jacobs, SC Johnson.

About the World Environment Center (WEC)
The World Environment Center advances sustainable development through corporate business practices. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Europe and Latin America, WEC advances corporate sustainability leadership through its global executive roundtable on key challenges and opportunities, builds capacity of small enterprises in emerging markets, and honors industry excellence through its annual Gold Medal Award. WEC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization. For more information, please visit www.wec.org.

About Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)
WHC has been working at the nexus of business and biodiversity for 35 years and is the only international NGO focused exclusively on enabling private sector action for nature. WHC builds strategies and frameworks for companies to integrate nature with climate, equity and engagement to support sustainable ecosystems and healthy communities. WHC corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations. WHC-certified programs can be found in nineteen countries and 48 U.S. states.

Earlier this year, WHC and WEC announced plans to combine the two organizations into a new entity. This combination will expand opportunities for best-in-class collaborations with companies to halt and restore nature loss, improve water stewardship, enhance climate and community resilience and support the transition to a circular economy. The new organization name and branding is expected to launch in the fall of 2024.

CSR Europe and Wildlife Habitat Council Launch Business-Led Biodiversity Alliance for Sustainable Management

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  • Leading businesses Syensqo, BASF, PPC, Titan, Hitachi, Autostrade per l’Italia, Leonardo, Coca-Cola HBC, and the national CSR Network Impronta Etica joined forces to integrate solid biodiversity management strategies into business operations.
  • In 2024, the Alliance will prioritize mitigating business site impacts on biodiversity, integrating conservation efforts into CSR and sustainability policies.
  • In 2025, the Alliance will open to the participation of non-member companies. To learn more, interested businesses are invited to join Alliance partners at the European Sustainable Industry Summit 2024, for the roundtable on “Biodiversity Management: Business Strategies in Action”, taking place in Brussels on 25 June.

Brussels, 18/04/2024 – CSR Europe and the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) officially launched the business-led Biodiversity Alliance for Sustainable Management at a high-level kick-off meeting on 17 April. The initiative brings together leading businesses Syensqo, BASF, PPC, Titan, Hitachi, Autostrade per l’Italia, Leonardo, Coca Cola HBC and the Italian sustainability network Impronta Etica to enhance biodiversity preservation and integrate nature-centric approaches into corporate strategies and operations.

With the support of CSR Europe and WHC, in 2024 Alliance partners will focus their efforts to:

  • Share best practices and strategies on risk and impact assessments and management strategies.
  • Identify a set of metrics and management tools to scale up and increase the impact of common and individual efforts on biodiversity.
  • Understand how to better implement current EU requirements on biodiversity as part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), as well as international requirements such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
  • Explore how biodiversity efforts can be leveraged to contribute to a Just Transition.

During the virtual inaugural meeting, Alliance members engaged in insightful discussions on key trends linking business operations with nature. Emphasis was placed on the critical importance of integrating nature and biodiversity in corporate strategies, ensuring ecological resilience and sustainable development. Participants exchanged valuable insights and perspectives, laying the groundwork for collaborative action and shared learning in the months ahead.

After a year-long incubation period, in 2025 the Alliance will open the participation to external businesses. Interested companies are invited to join the dedicated European Roundtable “Biodiversity Management: Business Strategies in Action”, taking place in the framework of the European Sustainable Industry Summit, on 25-26 June 2024.

MEDIA CONTACT
Lorena Sorrentino, Materials Manager: ls@csreurope.org

ABOUT CSR EUROPE
CSR Europe is the leading European business network for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility. With our corporate members, National Partner Organisations (NPOs), and Associated Partners, we unite, inspire & support over 10,000 enterprises at local, European and global level. We support businesses & industry sectors in their transformation and collaboration towards practical solutions and sustainable growth. We are for systemic change. Following the SDGs, we want to co-build with the European leaders and stakeholders an overarching strategy for a Sustainable Europe 2030. Learn more at www.csreurope.org.

ABOUT WHC
WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) has been working at the nexus of business and biodiversity for 35 years and is the only international NGO focused exclusively on enabling private sector action for nature. WHC’s corporate members are leading national and multi-national corporations, and their collective efforts have resulted in more than 1,500 WHC-certified programs around the world. Learn more at www.wildlifehc.org.

New White Paper Explores Corporate Efforts to Protect Reptiles and Amphibians

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BETHESDA, Md., April 10, 2024 – WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) offers a new white paper available for download today, Enhancing Habitats for Reptiles and Amphibians | Corporate Conservation Efforts to Protect Herptiles. The white paper is sponsored by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and is available for free on our website.

Reptiles and amphibians have a rich global diversity. From painted turtles to green tree frogs, alligators to fire salamanders, these groups of species — collectively referred to as herptiles — exhibit many colors, shapes and sizes and exist on all continents except Antarctica. Unfortunately, herptiles are also among the world’s most endangered species.

Given reptiles’ and amphibians’ ubiquity, their important ecological roles and their sensitivity to environmental disturbances, conservation efforts to support these species are vital. This white paper highlights examples of reptile and amphibian conservation projects at corporate sites around the world. These case studies share how, at varying scales, corporations can meet the needs of reptiles and amphibians. Featured case studies from WHC-Certified sites include:

  • Ashland: 009 Landfill, Georgia, USA
  • Atlantic Richfield Company, a bp subsidiary: Warm Springs Ponds, Montana, USA
  • Boston Properties: Carnegie Center, New Jersey, USA
  • Canadian Nuclear: Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, Canada
  • Covia: Nepheline Syenite Operations, Ontario, Canada
  • CRH: Dufferin Aggregates Acton Quarry, Ontario, Canada
  • Georgia-Pacific: Monticello, Mississippi, USA
  • Stellantis: Opel Automobile GmbH Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
  • Toyota: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, Texas, USA
  • WM: Sainte-Sophie Landfill, Quebec, Canada

Sponsored by OPG, this white paper features a foreword stating, “Reptiles and amphibians play vital roles in maintaining ecosystem balance by controlling populations of other species and contributing to nutrient cycling. OPG understands that reptiles and amphibians carry out their life cycles in a wide range of habitats, each species having specific requirements for survival; understanding these habitat needs is fundamental for conservation efforts at OPG.”

About WHC:

WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) has been working at the nexus of business and biodiversity for 35 years and is the only international NGO focused exclusively on enabling private sector action for nature. WHC builds strategies and frameworks for companies to integrate nature with climate, equity and engagement to support sustainable ecosystems and healthy communities. WHC’s corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations. WHC-certified programs can be found in 19 countries and 48 U.S. states. Learn more at www.wildlifehc.org.

Where is Your Company on the Nature-Positive Journey?

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From external regulatory pressures to internal corporate commitments, there is a myriad of reasons why a company may begin thinking about its dependencies and impacts on nature. WHC knows this all too well from 35 years of experience supporting the private sector in biodiversity-related efforts.  

While the reasoning behind a corporate commitment to nature positivity varies from company to company, WHC has identified many commonalities across industries and sectors. With companies increasingly looking to engage in nature-positive actions, WHC aggregated these common findings into a model called the Nature-Positive Journey. 

But what does this journey look like, and how can companies get started? WHC experts addressed these questions and more in a recent webinar focused on the how and why of corporate nature positivity. 

Why get started now? 

In order to set the scene for the Nature-Positive Journey, it’s important to understand why companies should embark on this journey now. The earth is currently experiencing a nature crisis, considered by many to the be planet’s sixth mass extinction event. There has been a documented 69% decrease in monitored global wildlife populations since 1970, and factors like habitat loss, overexploitation of nature, invasive species, disease and climate change are all drivers for biodiversity loss worldwide. These biodiversity losses will not only impact nature, but also the global economy, as over half of the world’s GDP is dependent on nature. 

Because of these impacts, governments, financial institutions and corporations are beginning to take concrete action for nature. Due in part to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted by 196 countries at COP 15 in December 2022, governments are developing national action plans to reach nature-positive targets, including requirements for businesses. It is clear that, because of the dire state of biodiversity and these growing external pressures, now is the time for companies to act for nature. 

Navigating the ecosystem of nature-related frameworks 

Momentum is quickly gathering across many sectors to focus on nature-positive outcomes, resulting in various initiatives, tools and frameworks related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns. Many companies have relayed to WHC that the complicated landscape of these emerging frameworks can feel daunting, so having a clearer picture of their expectations and interoperability can help companies determine which frameworks best fit their needs. 

A few notable frameworks include the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) and the Science-based Targets for Nature (SBTN). TNFD focuses on nature-related risk management and disclosure, with these disclosures helping companies prepare for Target 15 of the GBF, and SBTN provides guidance for place-based impact management. While both frameworks ultimately develop action plans to meet and report on nature-related targets, TNFD focuses heavily on disclosure, whereas SBTN’s focus is more on acting and tracking measurable targets.  

TNFD and SBTN are just two of the many frameworks, initiatives and regulations that currently exist, with more undoubtedly on the way. As such, it can be difficult to parse the connections between them and understand where each framework fits into an overall nature-related strategy. WHC is working to simplify this, using a sample scenario in the webinar to illustrate how various initiatives, as well as additional actions like WHC Conservation Certification®, each play a role in a company’s nature-related assessments, commitments, disclosures and transformation.  

Watch WHC’s free, on-demand webinar to learn more about the various nature-related frameworks. 

Hearing from companies about their place on the journey 

Considering there are many frameworks and initiatives that support a goal of reaching nature positivity, many companies are wondering how to get started. Every company’s journey will look different, and there is rarely a straight path to nature positivity, as external and internal disruptions will inevitably have an impact. Despite this variability, WHC has identified six general phases on the Nature-Positive Journey. 

A company will typically start in the exploration phase, where it begins to understand its relationship with nature. Once a company has determined that biodiversity is material to its success, an internal commitment to take nature-related action often follows. Further assessments and planning help to identify specific nature-related risks, impacts, dependencies and opportunities across locations, business units and supply chains. Based on these findings, a company develops a nature strategy to address these impacts, which it often pilots and adapts at a subset of locations to collect feedback and adjust before adopting and launching it more broadly. Armed with this nature strategy, a company can go on to continuously innovate in the face of new regulations, competition and increased understanding of nature – becoming an industry leader. 

Attendees on the webinar represented an interesting cross section of the private sector, and they provided useful data about the corporate nature-positive journey in a brief poll. When asked about their company’s current position on the nature-positive journey, most respondents indicated they are in the two earliest stages: Exploration (35%) or Assessment & Planning (27%). The majority of respondents were no further than the Exploration phase in their journey, with only 10% having reached the Adoption & Launch phase. 

When asked about the barriers they see limiting their advancement on the journey, financial resources (35%) and lack of knowing where to start (27%) were the top responses. Specifically, a lack of knowing where to start was indicated as the biggest hurdle for those in the Exploration and Assessment & Planning phases, while a lack of financial resources was the top reason for not advancing in three phases: Commitment, Piloting & Adapting and Strategy Adoption & Launch.

These findings show that guidance and support early in the journey is a top need for many companies. WHC is working to meet this need by developing offerings that can help propel companies to the next step on the journey. From biodiversity fitness screenings to framework readiness assessments to the creation of a corporate nature strategy, WHC has created a menu of options to support companies at all phases of the Nature-Positive Journey.  

Descriptions of these offerings, their placement on the nature-positive journey and real-life examples are available in WHC’s free white paper: The Corporate Nature-Positive Journey| Private Sector Biodiversity Methodologies, From Strategy to Implementation. 

Ready to get started?  

By embarking on the Nature-Positive Journey and implementing a corporate nature strategy, companies benefit in a number of ways. Not only does a nature strategy demonstrate a company’s commitment to both people and planet, but it can also support other corporate-level strategies for climate or sustainability. A nature strategy helps a company align with various regulatory and financial expectations and supports business decision-making by putting a focus on nature-positive actions and lowering nature-related risks. 

As biodiversity becomes more of a hot-button issue, and with the emergence of more voluntary nature and regulatory nature-related disclosures and expectations, it is clear that now is the time for companies to act for nature. Want to learn more? Watch WHC’s free, on-demand webinar for more details on the steps on the corporate Nature-Positive Journey and to learn how, no matter where you are, you can start taking action for nature.