On Nov. 3, Geotab announced its commitments to helping fight climate change via its inaugural Geotab Sustainability Report. The report leverages 2019 as a baseline for measuring Geotab’s 2020 sustainability efforts and results and presents long-term goals for the company’s business.

In a statement, Geotab says the report underscores its continued commitment to climate action, a heightened focus on reducing emissions across the company’s ecosystem, and its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

In the report, Geotab sets a new target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, one decade earlier than called for in the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

"Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time,” said Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab. “Our commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 is not just about us — it’s about creating a better world for the generations to come. And as a global leader in connected transportation, we have a unique opportunity to work with our peers and partners to help move the commercial transport ecosystem to carbon neutrality. This is something we take very seriously — from being a core driver in our innovation and product strategy, down to the companies with whom we do business, and the tactical decisions our team makes on a day-to-day basis. We recognize that setting targets is easy — achieving those targets is hard. We see this as a painful necessity that we, along with our forward thinking customers, must do in order to do the right thing for our future."

Four pillars guide Geotab’s sustainability efforts: Safeguarding the environment, sourcing responsibly, providing innovation that helps organizations do things better and do better things, and creating positive impact in communities. Geotab says the following highlights were achieved in 2020. 

• Focused efforts on product innovations that drive more sustainable and safer transportation operations for its customers. 

• Established relationships with critical partners, like vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers, governments and other key drivers within the transportation ecosystem that are crucial to making the green transition to sustainability.

• Set a near-term target for Scope 1 and 2 to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030. Committed to achieving net-zero for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2040.

• Achieved 19% reduction in Scope 1 emissions, 16% reduction in Scope 2 emissions, and 32% reduction in Scope 3 emissions.

• Voluntarily issued commitments and joined initiatives including to lowering carbon emissions: The Climate Pledge, Science Based Targets Initiative, United Nations Global Compact, CDP, We Mean Business Coalition, and Race to Zero.

• Diverted 54.6% of waste from landfills through adoption of a corporate-wide sustainable approach to recycling built on culture, communication, and collection.

• Achieved multiple employer recognitions including Great Place to Work, Best Workplaces (overall, as well as for Inclusion, Women, Mental Wellness, and Today’s Youth).

• Established a Corporate Social Responsibility Task Force to create definitive action plans to advance environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts across global operations.

Geotab created its first greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 2019, detailing the company’s direct and indirect emissions and marking the start of its journey to becoming net-zero by 2040. In a statement, Geotab says that its customers’ fleets emitted over 25 million metric tons of CO2 in 2020, and an increase in efficiency by even just 5% would equate to a decrease of emissions by 1.25 million metric tons per year. 

The Geotab Sustainability Report will be released annually.