Dataset: Emissions, Energy Use and Climate Targets of Fortune G500 companies in the SBTi and RE100 initiatives

Several studies have posed that international cooperative initiatives lead by businesses could aid in mitigating global warming in ways that are additional to national policies. However, evaluations on their progress are rare due to many informational issues. This research gap is worrisome since such initiatives can also have negative effects on global commitment due to effort fragmentation and greenwashing. This thesis evaluates progress in two initiatives that have featured prominently in the literature: the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and RE100. The group of companies evaluated was reduced to the Fortune Global 500, a ranking of the largest firms by revenue. Large datasets were created with the targets set by these companies, their emissions and energy use, among others. Progress was evaluated in four aspects: the ambition of targets, the robustness of their disclosure of sustainability metrics, the implementation of changes to their energy profiles, and finally the substantive progress seen in their collective carbon footprint. It was found that among the two initiatives, SBTi appears posed for larger emissions mitigation, while RE100 is better at promoting more effective renewable energy purchasing practices. However, direct emission reductions are mostly concentrated on a reduced number of firms in energy intensive sectors, with the remaining members focusing on reductions through indirect methods that might not be additional at the global level. Similarly, it was found that informational barriers remain high even in these firms, with a plethora of inconsistencies that complicate year-by-year comparisons.多项研究指出，企业主导的国际合作倡议能够以补充国家政策的路径助力减缓全球变暖。然而由于信息层面存在诸多问题，针对此类倡议进展的评估却寥寥无几。这类研究空白令人担忧，因为此类倡议还可能因行动分散与漂绿行为，对全球减排承诺产生负面影响。本论文针对学术文献中备受关注的两项倡议——科学碳目标倡议（Science Based Targets initiative, SBTi）与RE100——的进展展开评估。本次评估的企业样本被限定为《财富》全球500强（Fortune Global 500）——按营收排名的全球最大企业榜单——中的主体。研究团队构建了大型数据集，涵盖这些企业设定的减排目标、碳排放与能源使用情况等多类信息。本次评估从四大维度展开：目标设定的力度、可持续发展指标披露的严谨性、能源结构调整的落地实践，以及企业整体碳足迹所体现的实质性进展。研究发现，在两项倡议中，科学碳目标倡议展现出更强的温室气体减排潜力，而RE100则更擅长推动更高效的可再生能源采购实践。不过，直接减排活动大多集中在能源密集型行业的少数企业中，其余成员多通过间接方式实现减排，此类方式在全球层面未必能带来额外的减排效益。同样值得关注的是，即便在这些头部企业中，信息壁垒依然高企，大量数据不一致的问题使得跨年度对比工作难以顺利开展。