Sonova sets ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

We need to act faster than ever in order to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. Global warming is continuing at an alarming rate and the Paris Agreement, which aims to pursue every effort possible to limit global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is at risk. Bold commitments, coupled with prompt climate action is urgently needed and that is why Sonova has committed to sustainably reduce our emissions.

The SBTi, has now approved our submitted targets to reduce the:

• Absolute GHG emissions from our own operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 78.3% by 2032 vs. 2019
• and the absolute GHG emissions across our value chain (Scope 3) by 32.5% by 2032 vs. 2019.

The measures we will take to limit global warming

Amongst the many actions Sonova will take to achieve these targets, we will: 

• Engage suppliers to join us on the journey to reduce GHG emissions
• Source materials with a lower GHG footprint e.g., move from virgin materials to recycled ones where feasible
• Optimize shipments e.g., by reducing the weight and volumes and increasingly shift from air to sea or ground freight
• Adapt and tighten corporate policies on business travel and company vehicles.

Arnd Kaldowski, CEO of Sonova, says: “We are grateful that our greenhouse gas reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. This approval represents an important step on our journey to help protect the planet, but now rigorous actions are needed. In a joint effort all our colleagues will ensure that we achieve our ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2032 at the latest.” 

Good progress, but more actions need to be taken

Sonova has already launched substantial initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint, bringing us closer to our goals step by step. We have made good progress in the past months and years, for example:

• We source 100% of our electricity need across all businesses from renewable sources.
• Hybrid and electric vehicles constitute more than 20% of our car fleet, compared with less than 8% in the prior year.
• In the Consumer Hearing business, freight transported by air decreased by 30% compared to the previous year and was instead transported by sea.
• Business travel emissions from air travel are below pre-pandemic levels and we aim to further reduce the respective emissions.

There is still a lot of work to be done. Together with more than 17,000 colleagues all over the world, Sonova continues to strive for improvement, driving impactful actions for our society and our planet.

Learn more about our targets and the progress we have made so far in our 2022/23 ESG Report.