Eden Prairie-based Tennant plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040

Eden Prairie-based Tennant Co., a global provider of mechanized cleaning equipment, has set ambitious new goals to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

The company was among the earliest adopters of the Science Based Targets initiatives (SBTi) and has made significant progress toward those goals. It is now raising the bar with aggressive plans to eliminate their carbon footprint in the next 17 years.

"This is really a bold set of goals that translate our ambitions into tangible results," President and CEO Dave Huml said.

In 2018, Tennant was among the first 103 companies to have SBTi-approved greenhouse gas reduction targets. It has achieved some of those goals ahead of schedule, including a 37% decrease in legacy Scope 1 and 2 emissions against a 2016 baseline.

Tennant's new goals include a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 along with being net zero by 2040.

"We've not had a net-zero target as a company before. And so we're excited to lead in that capacity," Huml said.

Many companies now have goals to reduce GHG emissions across Scope 1 and Scope 2 categories, which are most directly under their control. Fewer companies have put in place Scope 3 goals that look farther downstream in an organization's value chain and often have a greater impact.

SBTi has recognized Tennant for its work on Scope 3 emissions from the outset of the company's participation. Tennant is ahead of pace to exceed its initial Scope 3 goals by 2030.

Tennant's new objectives include enhanced Scope 3 emission standards and more specific goals, including to electrify its fleet of more than 550 service vans by 2040, source 100% of its global electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030 and continue to update its product portfolio so customers can increase their own energy efficiency and reduce their GHG emissions.

"Our 2040 commitment continues our climate leadership by aligning our goals with the latest in climate science," said Reilly Goodwin, Tennant's director of sustainability and ESG. "Which tells us that as a global community, we must focus on achieving as much reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as possible, as soon as possible."

A big component in Tennant reaching its sustainability goals will come from converting its portfolio of products. Tennant already helps customers achieve sustainability goals because its mechanized floor and grounds cleaning machines reduce water use, labor costs and reliance on cleaning chemicals.

"We have been in the process of electrifying our products because we've been focused on sustainability," Huml said. "And frankly, our customers asked for an electrified option."

Among the goals is to have Tennant's portfolio completely converted to electric by 2040.

"We've made good progress on our way there. We're not yet [100%] electrified," Huml said. "But we're continuing with our work to invent and innovate so that we can perform [each] application with an electrified option."