3M participates at UN Climate Conference COP28 To advance sustainable development goals

3M announces its participation  to the UN Climate Conference COP28, taking place in Dubai, UAE, from November 30 to December 12, 2023. The key themes for this year’s conference include technology and innovation, inclusion, frontline communities, and finance.

Gayle Schueller, 3M SVP & Chief Sustainability Officer, comments: “Under the theme ‘Bringing the World Together,’ COP28 will bring together leaders, policymakers, and civil society. The goal is to accelerate efforts for collective and results-oriented actions to close the remaining gaps by 2030. By focusing on responding to the global inventory, we can support decarbonization, the energy transition, as well as responsible production and consumption.”

Schueller reaffirms 3M’s commitment to addressing the pressing ecological challenges of climate change and resource scarcity, adding: “By leveraging our industry expertise and learnings from the unique challenges we have faced on our sustainability journey, we aim to continue making significant progress towards a more sustainable future.”

Ismail Mapara, Managing Director, 3M Gulf, gave his regional perspective on the importance of COP28 to 3M’s diverse customer base. “We convene at the onset of COP28, an event of global significance, but also showcasing the very best of the Middle East region. Serving as both a stocktake since the Paris Agreement of 2015 and a call to action to mitigate climate-related issues of the near future, we see an opportunity for innovation to take the lead. Over the next week, we have the unique opportunity to establish goals, guidelines, and targets that will have a positive impact on the climate emergency. It is the synergy and shared actions between the public and private sectors that will distinguish our efforts and help us continue to grow in the face of an ever-evolving environment.”

Sustainability at 3M

As part of its own sustainability strategy, 3M has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 78.8 percent since 2002. Additionally, 3M achieved its 2025 renewable energy goal by the end of 2022, reaching 51.9 percent renewable electricity use across at its global sites. There was a reduction of 37.8% in its Scope 1 and 2 market based GHG emissions in 2022, placing the company on a trajectory to achieve a targeted 50% reduction by 2030. Water efficiency has increased to 16.8% indexed to sales… These milestones align with the company’s broader sustainability commitments, which encompass achieving carbon neutrality in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050, aiming for a 20% reduction in water consumption by 2030, and enhancing water quality upon return to the environment post-production. 3M remains steadfast in its mission to reduce the use of new fossil-based plastics by nearly 56,700 tons by 2025. In 2021, the company announced an additional investment of 1 billion US dollars over a 20-year period to reach these goals.