Tencent sets goal for carbon neutrality, 100% green power

Internet and technology company Tencent has announced it plans to become carbon neutral by 2030 across its operations and supply chain.

The company also wants to utilise green power for 100% of all electricity consumed by the end of the decade.

Tencent began an internal review of its greenhouse gas emissions in early 2021.

The company says the findings over the past year, published in its Carbon Neutrality Target and Roadmap Report, serve as the foundation for its carbon neutrality goals.

The report notes Tencent's total emissions were equivalent to approx. five million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021.

It says the three categories for these emissions were indirect emissions generated from the supply chain (53.7%), the generation of power and other energy purchased for Tencent operations (45.9%), and greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by Tencent (0.4%).

Tencent says it plans to prioritise the use of active emissions reduction measures while keeping carbon offsets to a minimum.

To reach its net-zero goal, Tencent will implement initiatives including improving resource efficiency by lowering energy consumption per unit of output throughout its operations, significantly increasing the proportion of renewable energy use (especially in electricity consumption), and actively participating in green power trading.

It will also explore investments in renewable energy projects, and the company anticipates adopting carbon offsets for the remaining segments that cannot otherwise be reduced.

In addition to achieving its own carbon neutrality goal, Tencent says it intends to play a leading role in driving change towards a low-carbon society by focusing on three key areas.

These include promoting low-carbon lifestyles and green consumption trends by developing sustainability-themed mini programs and mobile games for its consumers, and facilitating a low-carbon transformation for the industrial sector by offering businesses technologies to digitalise business operations and manage emissions reduction.

Tencent will also support the advancement of critical technologies for carbon neutrality by pursuing partnerships in areas including the carbon capture, utilisation, and storage value chain.

"It is Tencent's responsibility as a global technology leader to help the world achieve carbon neutrality, and it's also an essential part of our vision to use tech for good," Tencent chairman and chief executive officer Pony Ma says.

"Not only do we believe this is the right thing to do for society, but we are eager to play our part as the global community progresses towards a carbon-neutral and more sustainable future."

Tencent established its Sustainable Social Value Organization (SSV) in 2021, explaining that the intention was to find high-quality and sustainable pathways to net zero, share social value, and improve social well-being.

Furthermore, Tencent leads the carbon neutrality professional committee at the Internet+ Development Association of China, which is establishing an open-access patent technology organisation to make it easier for enterprises to use low-carbon technologies for free.