According to the latest report published by Cdp (Carbon Disclosure Project), 62 companies have managed to reduce their emissions by 10 per cent or more while increasing revenue by the same margin within five years. Among these, revenue grew by 29 per cent while at the same time emissions were reduced by 26 per cent.

This is what emerges from the report Out of the starting blocks: Tracking progress on corporate climate action, which measures and evaluates data on CO2 emissions and climate change mitigation by 1,089 companies, disclosed to Cdp at the request of 827 investors.

The five best companies

Among the large groups, standouts include SCA, the Swedish consumer goods and pulp-based products company, which reduced emissions by 32 per cent while increasing revenue by 19. Daimler, which reduced emissions by 5 per cent compared to the previous year, saving 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Sodexo, the French company that developed a range of services to help its clients reduce their impact, and Swiss firm Givaudan, which by switching to electricity from renewable sources reduced its own emissions by more than 10 per cent.

Emissions reduction in companies' commitments

The companies examined represent, at a global level, 12 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions — that is, they are among the most significant both in terms of market capitalisation and environmental impact. "This report uses data on corporate activities prior to the Paris Agreement. It shows that while many companies are already on the right track, there is still a large gap to be bridged," said Paul Simpson, CEO of Cdp. "Given that investors are seeking to reduce risk by shifting investments towards lower-carbon infrastructure, the spotlight will fall above all on corporate initiatives. The race to seize the opportunities of this transition is still very much on."

Italian companies in line with the global average

A transition towards a low-carbon economy, then, which also appears to be followed by Italian companies. The report dedicated to Italian companies — the Climate change report 2016 – Italian edition — also examines the 42 Italian companies included in the analysis, revealing that 86 per cent already have a target in place to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, compared to a global average of 85 per cent. A short-term objective, however, since only 7 per cent of the declared targets will be achieved beyond 2030.

"In Italy only 2 companies out of the 42 included are committed to aligning themselves with the most recent indications from climate science in order to keep global warming below the critical threshold of 2 degrees," writes Cdp. The gap therefore remains, despite savings of approximately 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 in the last year by this group.