Software to shape a sustainable future – AVEVA’s commitment to Business Ambition for 1.5°C

Written by Peter Herweck, CEO, AVEVA

Last week’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC – was a sobering reading. The expert group concluded that the world is likely to exceed the Paris target of 1.5 degrees global warming at some point between 2021 and 2040. With every tenth of degree of change making a world of difference, urgent and immediate action is needed by all of us to accelerate the transition to a net-zero economy.

As an industrial software leader, sustainable innovation is the core of AVEVA’s mission. In conversation with UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, I was pleased to announce our decision to join Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign led by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in partnership with the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition.

As part of this pledge, AVEVA has committed to set 1.5°C-aligned emission reduction targets across all scopes and reach science-based net-zero emissions by 2050. In addition to leading by example on emissions mitigation, we are speeding up the realization of a net-zero future by enhancing the suite of software solutions we offer our customers to enable them to reduce their carbon footprints.

The UK Tech industry is ready to play our part

Our dedication to creating a net-zero emissions economy is made possible by our unique end-to-end software portfolio which enables industries to visualize their entire value chain. Using data combined with analytics and AI-infused decision support, our customers can drive efficiencies, cut emissions and reduce materials waste. Harnessing the power of shared data in the cloud, enriched with artificial intelligence and decades of deep industry expertise, we empower our customers to forge more efficient, transformative ways of working.

We take pride in the culture of collaboration and the trust we’ve fostered with our customers. We are committed to serving every customer to the best of our ability and by working together to advance their sustainability ambitions, we have been able to deliver extraordinary benefits, such as

• cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25% for New Belgium Brewery
• increasing transmission reliability to 99.99% in England and Wales for National Grid
• shaping of new carbon capture engineering for Aker Carbon Capture, in the first plant of its kind transforming captured carbon dioxide into fertilizer
• helping Spanish power company Sener supply renewable energy to 120,000 homes through the largest thermo-solar complex on earth, the Noor Power Station
• designing the world’s largest waste-to-energy plant, Shanghai Laogang Project

We remain focused on being at the forefront of innovation and continue to invest in research and development in addition to hosting regular inhouse hackathons. On R&D alone, we plough some 12% of our revenue back into our R&D process, with ten development hubs and 20 project centers across the world, where our two thousand expert developers are continually striving to develop solutions that will lift industries up and drive them forward.

It’s with this pioneering spirit in mind that we look forward to the COP26 summit in Glasgow this year. By coming together, industries, government and the technology sector have a huge opportunity to pool innovation and resources to mitigate global warming and fast-track our journey towards a sustainable future.

Never has the need been greater, never has the opportunity been more within grasp. As a UK technology leader, AVEVA stands ready to play our part in shaping the sustainable industries of the future. Are you with us?