Energy generation company Cummins has been named one of 45 inaugural recipients of the Terra Carta Seal, an initiative led by the United Kingdom’s Prince Charles to recognize businesses for their commitment to environmental sustainability and decarbonization.
Inspired by the Magna Carta, the medieval document that remains an important symbol of liberty around the world, the Terra Carta is a recovery plan for the planet that serves as the guiding mandate for The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI). The initiative seeks to establish a global forum for industries to restructure their operations in a way that protects the world’s natural resources.
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, unveiled the seal recipients a short distance from the global climate meetings in Glasgow, Scotland.
“The Terra Carta Seal recognizes those organizations which have made a serious commitment to a future that is much more sustainable, and puts nature, people and the planet at the heart of the economy,” the Prince said in a ceremony at an art museum and gallery not far from the COP26 global climate summit taking place in Glasgow. “We all need to make changes if we are to preserve the planet for our children and grandchildren and these businesses have pledged to make it easier for us all to do so.”
The Sustainable Markets Initiative says the seal is awarded to companies who hold a leadership position within their industry and have “credible transition roadmaps to reduce their impact on the environment, including the carbon they produce, underpinned by globally recognized, scientific metrics for achieving net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.”
Cummins said it is committed to taking a leadership role on the world’s climate challenges and other environmental concerns. In 2019, the company unveiled PLANET 2050, the company’s environmental sustainability strategy, which includes science-based goals timed to 2030 that are aligned to the Paris climate agreements. The agreements seek to limit average global temperature rise above pre-industrial levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“As the Terra Carta recognizes, sustaining a vibrant economy while using fewer of the earth’s resources is the challenge of our time,” said Cummins Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger. “Our mission of making people’s lives better by powering a more prosperous world requires a healthier planet, and it will take all of us working together to solve the world’s climate challenges. Being part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative is both a great honor and a great responsibility.”
