Corporate Sustainability Strategies: A Siemens Case Study

An independent SIS Market Intelligence Report by Michael Stanat, Research Executive, SIS International Research. 

Siemens is one of the world’s most prominent companies and Europe’s largest technology conglomerate. With 430,000 employees, $77 billion in revenue and industrial manufacturing, the company naturally has a major impact on greenhouse gases emissions emitting 4.53 million tons CO2e. 

Siemens has acknowledged the importance of climate change as one of the most important challenges facing humanity, alongside world poverty and access of all people to proper sanitation and energy.  This perspective has helped the company’s manufactured products eliminate 15 times the company’s total emissions.  Investing €2 billion annually in research and development, Siemens has a hefty 30,000 environmental technology patents and offers efficient solutions that better combat climate change.  

The company’s goal is to become a leader in climate change reduction by improving the performance of customers through efficient products. In fact, it has proclaimed to media that it has the most environmentally-friendly industrial technologies portfolio.  Further, Siemens has publicly embraced the need to address climate change and energy efficiency into its operations, communications, cross functional boards, product development and its membership at non-governmental organizations.  Beyond this, Siemens has set tangible targets for the future: its leadership expects by 2011 a 20% increase in energy efficiency and a 20% reduction of global carbon dioxide emissions.  Given the company’s size, global research and industrial technology solutions, the company has a strong platform to impact climate change.

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Gone with the Wind? The Financial Crisis and Wind Energy

Undoubtedly, the Global financial crisis is impacting formerly high growth energy sectors.  The wind energy sector has witnessed dramatic growth over the past 10 years.   Our researchers explored some of the ways the wind industry has been impacted by the financial crisis.

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Understanding the EU Emissions Trading Scheme: An SIS Report

By Michael Stanat, Research Executive, SIS International Market Research, May 2, 2009

The largest international emissions trading scheme in the world began in Europe in January 2005.  Known as the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the EU ETS unified many countries and sectors into a vast carbon emissions trading mechanism.  Its goal was by 2012 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% back to 1990 emissions levels. In 2006, there were 10,078 installations, plus Poland’s more than 1000 installations. This portfolio of installations, including chemical, energy, mineral and industrial industries, constituted nearly half of all EU emissions.  The second phase beginning in 2008 and extending to 2012 plans to go beyond by involving other industries, including commercial aviation and airports.  

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How a Cap and Trade system may impact the deficit and corporate profits

Law makers in Washington are increasingly concerned with how the new stimulus package will impact the national deficit. In these discussions, Cap and Trade systems have been discussed as a way to put a price on carbon.

The Arguments Surrounding Implementing Cap and Trade Systems

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Being "Green" Improves Recession Performance

According to AT Kearny, companies with strong commitments to sustainability will perform better than those that do not, especially after this recession.

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