Johnson Matthey set targets to lower waste and improve safety on journey to net zero

JOHNSON MATTHEY has announced targets to heavily focus its sales and R&D spend in line with UN Sustainability Goals, and outlined interim targets to reduce waste and safety incidents on its way to being net zero.

The specialty chemicals and technologies company, whose technologies include catalysts, process technologies and battery materials, said in May that it would be net zero by 2040. It has now outlined 17 interim targets to achieve by 2030. These include having more than 95% of its sales and R&D spend contribute to four priority UN Sustainable Development Goals: good health and wellbeing; affordable and clean energy; responsible consumption and production; and climate action. Today 85% of sales and 87% of R&D investment are related to those four goals.

For its operations, it has set interim targets on its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions ahead of achieving net zero. It wants to reduce freshwater consumption by 25% and reduce the hazardous waste it creates by 50% compared to the 57,000 tonnes produced in 2020. It also wants to publish cradle-to-gate lifecycle analysis information for more than 95% of its products compared to just 6% today.

Its targets relate to people include achieving more than 40% female representation across management levels compared to 27% today. And it has set targets to reduce safety incidents in line with process safety severity rate metrics from the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA).

Robert MacLeod, Johnson Matthey’s CEO, said he wants the company to accelerate a cleaner, healthier world through its developments of technologies including electric vehicle batteries, hydrogen and fuel cells.