WWF Aims to Boost Climate Action in the Private Sector

WWF unveiled the Directory of Specialized Providers in Corporate Emissions Inventories, at an in-person event on May 6, 2024. Developed in collaboration with the SBT Mexico Consortium—which includes Global Compact Mexico, WRI Mexico, CDP Latam, and WWF Mexico—this tool addresses the need of Mexican companies for information on emissions accounting and helps them identify specialized firms in the field. The directory lists 25 providers that can be consulted by interested companies. Moreover, WWF stressed that it will seek to update and disseminate the directory regularly to reflect new developments and maintain its relevance.

The SBT Initiative is a voluntary program launched in 2015 as a call to action for companies to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets aligned with what science indicates to avoid exceeding the global temperature rise limit and meet the Paris Agreement. Adopting SBT standards enhances companies' sustainable growth and offers various advantages, including risk mitigation, increased market competitiveness, reduced energy costs, improved social well-being, and public recognition.

"In Mexico, we have been working for several years to ensure that the criteria proposed by SBTi becomes part of national climate change mitigation standards, collaborating with companies and government institutions and creating exchange spaces between the public and private sectors," highlighted Jorge Rickards, Director, WWF Mexico.

According to Rickards, developing emissions inventories is an increasingly common task among companies and can be carried out with internal resources and capacities or by seeking support from external advisors. In compliance with national and international standards, GHG emissions measurement is divided into three types of scopes. The first covers emissions from a company's direct operations. The second scope involves indirect emissions over which the company has control. Finally, the third concerns indirect emissions generated in the company's value or logistics chains, meaning those acquired through third parties, such as suppliers.

Aline Nolasco, Science-Based Targets Officer, WWF, emphasized that 45 companies in Mexico have already adopted the SBT initiative. Among them are CEMEX, Coca Cola, Alpek, America Movil, Grupo Bimbo, Sigma Alimentos, GCC, Grupo Financiero Banorte, and Grupo Rotoplas. Nolasco stressed that since 2021, the SBT Mexico Consortium has worked to promote this initiative in the country, with the aim of integrating the business sector into climate change policy. "We had a two-year project funded by the United Kingdom, where we listened to companies and conducted learning modules on topics from identifying greenhouse gasses to publicizing projects," she explained in an interview with El Sol de México about the project's beginnings.

Nolasco noted that a major barrier for companies adopting this initiative is the lack of information among staff about climate change and emissions accounting. She also highlighted that in Mexico, over 90% of companies are SMEs, which presents an additional challenge in supporting entrepreneurs. The directory aims to help companies of all sectors and sizes identify service providers that meet their needs and criteria. "Rather than a direct recommendation, the directory is intended to provide companies with useful tools," Nolasco underscored.