Global trims company YKK is one of 310 companies calling for more aggressive sustainability targets to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
YKK recently signed the Business/Investor Letter in Support of an Ambitious U.S. 2030 Climate Goal, an open letter to President Biden that calls for the U.S. to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement will help the planet avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The letter was organized by the We Mean Business Coalition and Ceres, two nonprofit organizations that work with the world’s most influential businesses to take action on climate change. Signatories included companies from a variety of industries, with notable fashion powerhouses Gap Inc., H&M, Levi’s, VF Corporation and others on the list.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, and to have countries reach peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by 2050. YKK has been an active supporter of these goals, having signed the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action in 2020, which initially set a goal of 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
The company has since shared its own sustainability initiatives that put it on track to achieving these goals, among others. YKK’s Sustainability Vision 2050 is its strategy to address climate change, material resources, water resources, chemical management and human rights, as well as 10 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Just last month, its emissions reduction targets were approved by the independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
“YKK has been committed to serving as a responsible steward of the environment for decades,” said Jim Reed, president of YKK Corporation of America. “Science around the threat of global warming emphasizes and accelerates the need to act.”
