A landscape image of an open grassy area with mountains in the background and the sun rising into the sky.
Climate Action at Univar Solutions

Measuring our progress on our journey toward a net-zero carbon future

Climate change is a pressing issue today, and we recognize the importance of addressing it for a better tomorrow. We are committed to adopting appropriate measures and best practices to help mitigate climate risks and the associated impacts on our business operations. Our short-, medium- and long-term goals are designed to ensure our global operations are continuously working toward carbon neutrality.

Eliminating emissions from our supply chain is vital for combatting climate change. We are committed to adopting appropriate measures and best practices to mitigate climate risks and the associated impacts on our business operations. The actions we take today will have a significant impact in future years.

Learn about how we are monitoring and mitigating energy use throughout our supply chain, from the products we source and services we procure to the end of life of our products.

Liam McCarroll, Director of SustainabilityLiam McCarroll, Director of Sustainability

Liam McCarroll

Director of Sustainability

 “Univar Solutions' driving purpose is to keep our communities healthy, fed, clean and safe, and recognizing the importance of carbon reduction is central to supporting the wellbeing of communities around the world. Investing significantly in climate change reduction is at the heart of our business and operations, and we are committed to implementing and continuously improving our technology, processes and culture to support our journey toward a net-zero carbon future.”

Where we take action

Univar Solutions’ approach to climate change and energy use is based on (1) optimizing energy efficiency, (2) using electrical power where possible for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plant equipment and transportation and (3) diversifying our fuel sources. These three categories are core to our strategy on emissions reduction.

Infrastructure and Investment

  • Committed to invest $3 million annually in low-carbon technology across the business
  • Developing on-site renewable energy production and procurement
  • Increasing use of non-conventionally powered vehicles

Processes and Procedures

  • Transitioning to increased procurement of electrified FLTs and hybrid cars
  • Rolling out site sustainability assessments to key locations across EMEA and North America
  • Beginning in 2022, reporting in line with TCFD, SASB and GRI frameworks

Culture

  • 80 percent of all employees globally completed sustainability training in 2021
  • Employee recognition programs focused on advancing our ESG goals
  • Promoting sustainability action among Univar Solutions employees on a day-to-day basis

2022 Performance Highlights

The report tracks Univar Solutions’ progress against its ESG targets over the past year and shares 2022 metric highlights including:

  • Delivered significant progress on environmental goals:
  • Reduced our absolute Scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 16.31 percent from our baseline.1
  • Disclosed our second year of Scope 3 emissions and delivered reductions in key areas, resulting in an intensity reduction of 25.26 percent of our overall Scope 3 emissions.2,3
  • Increased share of renewable electricity to 10.29 percent of
    all electricity use.
A large solar panel outside surrounded by blue sky.A large solar panel outside surrounded by blue sky.
An electric car plugged in and charging outside with a woman on her phone waiting in the background.An electric car plugged in and charging outside with a woman on her phone waiting in the background.

Our emissions reductions progress and initiatives

The significant reductions in emissions that we have seen are a testament to the hard work of our teams and the impact of the plans they have delivered on.

Other factors underpinning our progress include secondary benefits of reduced consumption tied to the reduction of our operational footprint; reduced travel and lower occupancy in our offices following COVID-19; and reduced energy use and emissions outside of our sustainability strategy.

We also have several initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to support the global goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.  These programs included launching a new company car policy that limits emissions from business travel and encourages usage of hybrid and electric vehicles. We installed solar panels at sites in Spain that satisfy one third of required energy demand, and purchased 35 new trucks with Euro 6 engines to increase telematics to track and improve driver behavior, fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Additionally, we have expanded our investment in solar arrays at the Paulínia site in Brazil, as part of our wider strategy to increase our on-site renewable energy generation capacity. This is our largest solar project to date.

Case study: A new industry standard for efficiency and safety in the market

We are constructing a new, highly innovative logistics Univar Solutions facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The new facility is strategically located close to where Univar Solutions’ products and services are to be delivered and offers a much more streamlined and efficient delivery process.

Some key highlights of our new facility:

  • Contains a telemetry system for real-time product inventory and high storage capacity
  • Equipped with higher rail capacity and blending rooms, which are designed for solvents, corrosives and oxidizers for higher efficiency and lower incidental risks
  • Minimizes spillage incidents and protects our employees through a state-of-the-art engineering controls and containment strategy
A large Univar branded etruck parked outside.A large Univar branded etruck parked outside.

Footnotes

1. Baseline for goals to 2025 and 2030 is calculated from the average of 2019 and 2020 performance.
2. Historic figures reported in this report may differ from those in previous reporting. This is due to purposeful restatements, details of which are
provided in the Behind the Report section.
3. Reductions in emissions related to Scope 2 emissions were based on Market-based emissions for baseline and current year.