We are reducing one gigaton — one billion metric tons — of carbon emissions (CO2e) from our customers’ footprint by 2030.
This reduction equates to the annual emissions of Italy, France, and the U.K. combined.
Based on our calculations and climate science research, approximately 15% of global annual GHG emissions relate to heating and cooling buildings and homes, and nearly another 10% comes from food lost in transport or never consumed. The rising concentration of GHGs in our atmosphere is warming the planet at an alarming rate and increasing risks of natural disasters that threaten human life and well-being. As a global climate innovator, Trane Technologies is uniquely positioned to lead a movement to tackle climate change and empower our customers to decarbonize. And that’s just what we’re doing.
50M
mtCO2e contributed to the Gigaton Challenge since 2019
197k
mtCO2e refrigerant recovered in 2021
100%
of Trane Technologies' Strategic Businesses are participating in the Gigaton Challenge
The Gigaton Challenge is the first-of-its-kind climate commitment related to customer product use of any B2B company. It guides our mission to change the way the world heats and cools buildings and moves refrigerated cargo. The cumulative reduction in our customers’ carbon emissions from the use of our products and services from 2019 through 2030 contributes to our achievement of the Gigaton Challenge. Four levers provide the largest opportunity for customer decarbonization and will help us achieve the Gigaton Challenge:
Accelerate use of high efficiency equipment with an entire system-level approach to buildings, homes, and transport; utilizing climate management to further enhance energy efficiency, expand electrification, reduce costs, and strengthen regulatory resiliency.
Increase projects that include building envelope improvements, controls, lighting upgrades, as well as energy and maintenance services.
Increase sales of temperature-controlled transportation in developing countries in order to reduce food loss in the global cold chain.
Transition equipment ahead of new GWP regulations and encourage an increase in refrigerant reclamation through our Reclaim Program.
“Trane’s services are an opportunity to positively impact the sustainability goals of our customers and our business — contributing to the Gigaton Challenge. Working with customers we continuously enhance and optimize system efficiency and reduce carbon impact. Ultimately lowering customer reliance on the electric grid, while limiting customer's total cost of ownership.”
Read more about the products and services that contribute to the Gigaton Challenge
Every year until 2030, Trane Technologies will calculate the reduction in product emissions and emissions avoided through services for that year. Our goal is to have the cumulative of each year’s contribution add up to one billion metric tons of CO2e by 2030.
For every product sold within a calendar year — covering our complete product portfolio of over a million configured and non-configured products — we calculate the total emissions it will generate through end-of-life. To do so we use the following equation.
Annually, we add the emissions generated by all products sold during that calendar year together and compare that to the emissions generated by all products sold during our baseline year, 2019. The difference in emissions between the current year and baseline year is that year’s product emissions contribution to the Gigaton Challenge. This annual absolute product emissions reduction is externally assured and contributes to our Scope 3 science-based target. Read more about our science-based targets.
We made the conscious decision to set 2019 as our baseline year, rather than including our achievements from the past five or 10 years, because the planet needs our industry to change now. Our ambition is to make a significant impact as quickly as possible.
We also calculate the cumulative customer emissions avoided through our services. Because no universal standard is widely applied to calculate avoided emissions, our calculation methodology is proprietary. The avoided emissions from annual services positively contribute to the Gigaton Challenge. We measure and calculate avoided emissions separately from absolute emissions reductions, though both are important aspects of the Gigaton Challenge. Read more in our Gigaton Challenge Playbook.
To meet this bold commitment and support our customers, every team member from every department at Trane Technologies is oriented to “boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world” — our company purpose.
Looking Forward
Bold commitments like the Gigaton Challenge demonstrate how Trane Technologies is leading our industry to a more sustainable future. As we innovate and work with customers to improve the way we heat and cool buildings and transport perishable cargo around the world, we will continue to share knowledge and inspire other companies to make equally ambitious commitments. We must all be involved in transforming tomorrow, today.