The company will also set up a carbon neutrality fund to
support the research and development of renewable energy and other green
technologies, and work with industry partners to promote green finance.
“Going green has always been a strong priority for Ant since
our founding, we firmly believe technology can and should be used to further
sustainable development,” said Yijie Peng, Vice President of Ant Group. “The
carbon neutrality goal that we pledged today is the next milestone in our
pursuit of an inclusive, green and sustainable future.”
Ant Group has detailed a roadmap to neutralize direct and
indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity from this year
(Scopes 1 and 2). By 2030, Ant Group will fully cancel out carbon emissions
generated from other sources it does not own or control, covering areas such as
supply chain and business travel (Scope 3).
Taking advantage of its leading capabilities in developing
blockchain technology and its real-world applications, Ant Group will also
explore ways to apply blockchain solutions to the climate effort, including
using the technology to track the carbon reduction process.
To ensure transparency and accountability, Ant Group invited
an external specialist, the China Environmental United Certification Center
(CEC), to join in discussions when designing its carbon neutral plan. The CEC
is an official service provider to the 2022 Winter Olympics, supporting the
Games in assessing its carbon reduction solutions.
Ant Group will periodically provide updates on its progress
towards achieving the carbon neutral goal.
With its vision of bringing inclusive, green and sustainable
services to consumers and small businesses in China and around the world, Ant
Group has been pioneering innovative solutions to promote green lifestyle among
consumers.
In 2016, Ant Group’s Alipay, China’s leading digital payment
platform, introduced the Ant Forest green initiative within the app to
encourage low-carbon activities — such as paying utility bills online and
walking instead of driving — among users. Green energy points earned by users
joining the initiative can be used to plant trees or protect a certain area of
land for biodiversity conservation.
As of October 2020, over 550 million people have joined Ant
Forest, planting over 200 million trees in Gansu Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region and other arid areas in China, contributing to the reduction of
approximately 12 million tons of carbon emission. Meanwhile, the initiative
also helped protect conservation land of 370 million hectare (3.7 million
square kilometers).
In 2019, Alipay Ant Forest was awarded “UN Champions of the
Earth” award, the United Nations’ highest environmental honor, and “2019 UN
Global Climate Action Award,” for using digital technologies to scale up
climate action.
For more information, please visit our website at
www.antgroup.com or follow us on Twitter @AntGroup.
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