How Westlake Plans to Achieve 20% Emissions Reduction by 2030

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Westlake Corporation today announced its target to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 equivalent emissions per ton of production 20% by 2030 from a 2016 baseline.

To reduce its carbon footprint, Westlake’s strategy is to allocate capital to both proven and emerging technologies, including additional product and operational innovations. This strategy includes energy efficiency projects, increasing power from less carbon-intensive electricity providers, adding more hydrogen as a fuel gas, and other continuous operational improvements.

To achieve its sustainability related milestones, Westlake will do the following:

• Introduction of lower-emission caustic soda, a material found in detergents, paper and packaging materials, pharmaceuticals, and water treatments products.
• Introduction of lower-emission PVC and a lighter-weight, more durable molecular-oriented PVC (PVCO) pipe that is manufactured with a lower-carbon footprint than other water main pipe materials.
• Acquisition of a global epoxy business that manufactures epoxies used to fabricate wind turbine blades and light-weight automotive components.
• Acquisition of a consumer and building products business with products made from post-industrial-recycled polymers.
• Trialing a “one-pellet solution,” which incorporates post-consumer resin (PCR) that could be used in everyday performance applications, such as packaging, trash bags, heavy-duty bags, and pallet-shrink wrap.

In 2022, Westlake plans to continue reporting sustainability metrics informed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) voluntary disclosure framework, the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) guidance, and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework.

According to the EPA, “Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an organization (e.g., emissions associated with fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces, vehicles). Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.”