Carbon Accountability on the Path to Net Zero

Our company is intrinsically linked to the health and vitality of the communities where we live and work. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report again emphasized urgent action to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Haworth developed a comprehensive decarbonization strategy in 2022 to address our environmental impact and outline our roadmap toward net zero emissions.

Officially Committed to Global Effort to Slow Climate Change

Haworth joined the SBTi (Science-Based Targets initiative) Business Ambition for 1.5°C agreement. Our near-term (2030) and long-term (2050) decarbonization targets align with SBTi climate models and scientific consensus.

We will communicate our progress toward these targets when the SBTi validates them to ensure that we’re taking the necessary actions to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Setting a Baseline for Science-Based Targets

To fulfill our commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we partnered with a consultant and aligned Haworth’s decarbonization strategy with the 1.5°C scenario of the Paris Climate Agreement, a landmark international legislation aimed at preventing the worst effects of global warming.

We established a baseline using data from 2021 to calculate the carbon footprint for our organization. According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, emissions fell into these categories:

• Scope 1 and 2 emissions (10%) – From Haworth operations
• Scope 3 emissions (90%) – Generated in our value chain from purchased goods & services, transportation & logistics, and product end-of-life processing

Our Decarbonization Commitment in Action

Renewable energy is an essential part of our strategy to eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions. We are pursuing on-site renewable electricity where feasible and procuring off-site renewable electricity through energy attribute certificates and green tariffs.

We will also reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions through energy conservation measures for infrastructure, equipment, and logistics. We’ll optimize energy efficiency for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, lighting, as well as our manufacturing-related equipment like forklifts, wood dust collection, and compressed air systems.

For our Scope 3 decarbonization strategy, we will focus on four areas:

1. Working with suppliers to set their own science-based targets for their operations and value chain.
2. Sourcing materials with a lower carbon footprint as an organization-wide priority.
3. Achieving low and zero carbon logistics, working to ship more efficiently, and shifting to green technologies.

Supporting circular services and reducing waste by extending product life through reuse, repair, and recycling.

Transparency in Reporting

Accountability requires transparency. We share our progress toward our sustainability targets in our Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Haworth reports annually with CDP, a nonprofit that runs a global disclosure system for environmental impacts. Through that program, we allocate our emissions to customers on demand so they can assess their Scope 3 emissions.

Our reporting quantifies our efforts toward net zero carbon emissions and helps hold us accountable to our customers, suppliers, employees, and communities around the world.

Extending Our 2025 Commitment on Renewable Energy

We’re targeting 100% renewable electricity for our operations, including on-site solar and energy attribute certificates or multi-year renewable power purchase agreements as needed. We’ve also extended our commitments from manufacturing to all our operations, including warehouses and showrooms.

We aim to reduce carbon emissions from our direct operations (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) by more than 50% by 2025. We’ve integrated that commitment into our SBTi goals, outlining our decarbonization steps for our near-term 2030 targets.