DuPont leads the chemical industry in preparing for a low-carbon economy, according to CDP’s latest quarterly sector research report.
The report ranks companies in one of the highest-emitting sectors: diversified chemicals, based on a number of emissions-related metrics which in aggregate could have a material impact on company performance.
The industrial sector accounts for more than 32 percent of global GHGs, according to CDP, and is the largest contributor to manmade GHG emissions. The chemical industry contributes some 15 percent of these global industrial GHG emissions.
The report covers 18 global chemical companies, which is the largest set of companies analyzed so far in this series. Together they represent about $500 billion in market cap and account for more than 60 percent of the combined emissions (scope 1+2) of the 80 chemical companies that responded to CDP.
DuPont is the leader (overall score of 6.12) with A and B grades across all areas except for supply chain optimization. Data analyzed for DuPont pre-dates the June spin-off of its high-emitting chemicals business.
Dutch companies DSM and AkzoNobel are second and third, with three A-grades each. The top three are the only companies to achieve an A-grade in CDP’s new carbon regulation readiness area, emphasizing the leadership of companies supportive of low carbon regulation.
German companies BASF and Bayer are ranked fifth and sixth. They would have ranked higher but for their poor performance in our carbon regulation readiness area, where they both scored an E.
There are three Japanese companies in the top half of the table, and three in the bottom half. Sumitomo (fourth) is the leading Japanese company, with Nitto Denko (15th) the lowest ranking Japanese company, due to high water risk, poor data transparency and supply chain optimization including a worrying lack of supplier or customer engagement.
After DuPont, the four remaining US companies are spread throughout the table, with Dow Chemical mid-table (ninth) and Ashland last. All five US companies performed poorly in the supply chain optimization analysis, receiving D and E grades.
Eastman and Solvay join Ashland in the bottom three of the table. They all receive two E-grades, including in the most important area of process and energy efficiency. Ashland is the worst performer on future emissions reduction targets, which does not bode well for its commitment to future efficiency savings. Solvay is ranked bottom on emissions-reduction performance over the last 10 years.