The news comes as the firm launches its new CSR & Sustainability report 2021. The company’s first fully global integrated analysis of its sustainability activities details how it continues to reduce its carbon emissions from its activities and improves transport around the world, as part of its wider Decarbonization Strategy.
Looking to the future, the report sets a direction of travel for further reductions of C02. An important part of the plans is the Sustainable Facility program that includes investment in solar PV at facilities, 100% renewable energy purchase agreements, increasing access to EVs for staff, and circular economy principles to reduce waste.
Through continued action to cut C02 equivalent emission, the group is helping achieve Hitachi Ltd’s global commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2030 and carbon neutrality across its entire value chain by 2050.
Andrew Barr, Hitachi Rail Group CEO, said, “This cut in CO2 by almost one-third shows that we’re really serious about reducing our environmental impact. We’re putting our Decarbonization Strategy at the heart of our business and investing to deliver it.
“Hitachi Rail is on an important journey to become a climate change innovator. This means decarbonizing our immediate business, as well as working with our customers and suppliers to deliver attractive low carbon forms of transport – modern battery or electric trains, for example – to persuade more people to switch from cars and planes to trains.”
To underline the importance Hitachi places on decarbonizing society and tackling climate change it is a Principal Sponsor COP26 conference, which began this week. At the conference in Glasgow, Hitachi Rail leaders will be talking to government and business leaders about its solutions to decarbonize transport. These include its battery and electric trains, and Mobility as a Service solutions to make public transport more attractive.
On Tuesday (November 2), Hitachi Rail announced that it has teamed up with another COP26 Principal Partner, ScottishPower for the supply of 100% renewable electricity for its UK operations over the next three years. The agreement provides an estimated 21GW of electricity per year for all of Hitachi Rail’s UK maintenance and manufacturing sites.
Andrew Ward, CEO Retail at ScottishPower said: “With COP26 now well underway in Glasgow, we’re really pleased to be able to work with our fellow Principal Partner, Hitachi Rail, helping them to take major steps on their own decarbonization journey and hopefully encouraging other companies to follow suit.”
Find out more:
Opinion: Alistair Dormer, chief environmental officer, and executive vice president at Hitachi, Ltd, reveals his COP26 wish list, which includes concrete commitments and public-private partnerships. Read here.
Video: Hitachi and ScotRail discuss the route to electrification and the role battery and hydrogen can play. Watch here.
In the next issue of Electric & Hybrid Rail Technology, Hitachi Rail CEO Andrew Barr talks in more detail about the company’s plans for decarbonization and reveals his thoughts on the best approaches for decarbonizing the rail sector.