Broad Group Pledges Climate Action

Leading Chinese air conditioner manufacturer and sustainable building company BROAD Group is to source 100% of its electricity supply from renewable energy, its CEO announced today, at a major energy summit in Suzhou City, China.

Speaking at the first International Forum on Energy Transitions, which gathered energy leaders from government, business and the scientific community,Mr.ZHANG Yue, CEO of BROAD Group, announced the company was joining RE100 – a global collaborative initiative of businesses committed to using 100% renewable electricity.

BROAD Group is setting a target to be 100% renewable by 2025. The company’s commitment sends a clear signal to China’s energy market that there is rising corporate demand for renewable electricity in China.

In addition to joining RE100, BROAD Group announced it will set a science-based target to cut its operational greenhouse gases by 50% from 2015 levels, by promoting CHP (cooling-heating-power), building energy conservation, and wind power generation.

BROAD Group is making both commitments as part of the We Mean Business coalition. The actions come just a few weeks ahead of crucial United Nations climate change talks in Paris, where business is looking to global leaders to agree a robust climate deal.

The company also outlined further climate efforts:

• A commitment to reducing building energy consumption by 80% by promoting building energy conservation technologies and sustainable buildings;
• Retrofits of BROAD Group buildings – in 2008-2014 all 15 of the company’s buildings at BROAD Town were fitted with 15cm thermal insulation, triple-paned windows, external solar shading, and heat recovery fresh air, reducing energy consumption five times over;
• A total area of 230,000m2 of factory roof equipped with solar PV before July 2014.

Zhang Yue, CEO of BROAD Group, said: “As a major manufacturer we recognise the role we can play in driving forward the energy revolution – and we are seizing it. Investing in sustainable building, CHP and renewables will contribute to the transformation of the energy market while helping us deliver on our climate goals.”

Mark Kenber, CEO of The Climate Group, which leads RE100 in partnership with CDP, said: “The IEA says over 65% of our electricity must come from renewables by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change. With the private sector accounting for more than half of global demand, it is that clear businesses must be change-makers.

“The more companies that join RE100, the higher the demand and the greater the deployment – and the more the cost of renewables comes down.”

BROAD Group is the 40th company and the second Chinese business to join RE100, following the addition of green desert developer Elion Resources Group in March 2015.

BROAD Group is joining RE100 having attended a workshop that was part of China RE100, a capacity building program designed to increase business ambitions for using renewable electricity in China.