DELAWARE, Ohio (News release) -- Greif, Inc., a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, today announced it has set a new goal to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 28% by 2030. This target aligns to the prevailing climate science limit of keeping global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. The Company will also further investigate its Scope 3 GHG emissions and make a determination about pursuing a net-zero carbon aspiration by the end of 2023. Greif's new goal builds upon the Company's near 15-year commitment to sustainability and an 11% emissions reduction per unit of production achieved in 2019.

Pete Watson, Greif's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "At Greif, we are committed to being a conscientious global citizen, a responsive community neighbor and a responsible steward of our natural resources. As a packaging leader, it is our responsibility to safeguard the resources provided to us and to minimize our impact on the environment. We will continue to seek out ways to advance our sustainability commitment for the benefit of future generations."

Greif will pursue a strategic approach to achieving its new goal by building upon its existing investments in energy efficient equipment and by examining options to further utilize other alternative energy sources. In addition, the Company will partner with Schneider Electric's Energy & Sustainability Services team to source offsite, large-scale renewable energy.

"The urgency of climate change and its impacts makes taking science-based climate action the business imperative of the decade," said John Hoekstra, Vice President of Sustainability and Renewable Energy at Schneider Electric. "Greif's new carbon reduction goal will accelerate this transition in the packaging industry and we're proud to be their partner in the journey."

Greif is also committed to helping its customers meet their own decarbonization and resource conservation goals through circular economy practices. These efforts focus on producing products that are lighter weight and utilize fewer virgin raw materials and more recycled content while continuing to meet high performance standards. The Company developed the Greif Green Tool, a lifecycle assessment (LCA)-based calculator that provides customers the ability to select the most environmentally-friendly packaging products, in turn helping them to meet their own sustainability targets. Learn more about the Greif Green Tool here.