Rubicon announces that it has joined The Climate Pledge, an environmental protection initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. Signatories of the Pledge commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the goal set out in the United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement. Rubicon was founded more than a decade ago with a simple mission: To End Waste. The company is transforming the waste industry by helping its partners move away from the legacy landfill model and toward circular solutions that slow the accumulation of waste and its harmful by-products, which include significant carbon emissions. Rubicon was one of the first, and has become one of the largest, Certified B Corporations in the world, first attaining its certification back in 2012. With each re-certification since then, Rubicon’s B Corp score has increased, and in both 2017 and 2018 the company was awarded Best for the World honors for Governance. Then, in 2018 and again in 2019, Rubicon was named Best for the World for Environment in recognition of the company’s environmental and sustainability practices.
“We believe that climate change is among the most urgent issues the world is facing today, which makes our joining The Climate Pledge a defining moment for Rubicon. It is our declaration of alliance in the fight against climate change and a restatement of our company’s mission,” said David Rachelson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Rubicon. “Every day, our team works tirelessly alongside our partners to reduce the build-up of waste and to mitigate its damaging impact on the environment.”
Rubicon’s business model contributes directly to the reduction of emissions as the company does not own or manage landfills, which statistics show are the third largest emitter of methane in the United States. According to a recent study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, moving the economy to a circular model could eliminate 3.7 billion tons of CO2e in 2050. The company’s own carbon footprint is also made smaller, relative to its industry competitors, as it does not operate a fleet of waste collection and disposal vehicles.
Through further business model innovations, the increased adoption of technology and data tools, and by identifying and scaling solutions that accelerate the transition to a circular economy, Rubicon and its partners will further reduce the adverse effects of carbon emissions on the planet’s biodiversity, natural ecosystems, and its climate. “By signing The Climate Pledge, companies around the world are working together to protect our planet from the catastrophic impacts of climate change,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability. “We are thrilled to welcome Rubicon to The Climate Pledge community, as they join in our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement.”
In addition, as a signatory of The Climate Pledge, Rubicon commits to:
- Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis
- Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business change and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies
- Take actions to neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net zero annual carbon emissions by 2040
“Putting our name to this pledge reconfirms our dedication to creating a cleaner, healthier, and safer planet for all humankind,” continued Rachelson. “We are proud to stand alongside the other companies who have signed The Climate Pledge in this most pressing of global missions.”