Opinion piece
Our planet’s future: following the data
“Our targets lay out a roadmap for ambitious near-term emissions reductions. These align with the scientific consensus that rapid emissions reductions are necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Armed with this knowledge, we are empowered to take decisive actions to reduce our carbon footprint and lead by example.”
Net-zero targets
We have committed to reach net zero by 2040, with near-term and net-zero targets across all three scopes validated by the SBTi.
| Near-term targets (2032) | Net zero target (2040) | |
|---|---|---|
Scope 1 and 2 Includes:
| Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 54.6% | Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 90% |
Scope 3 GHG Protocol categories 1-15 | Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 32.5% | Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% |
Baseline year: 2019
Our net zero roadmap
| Year | Carbon emissions offset | Net carbon emissions. Scope 1, scope 2 and partial scope 3 | Net carbon emissions. Remainder of scope 3* | Indicative emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historical carbon | ||||
| 2019 Our baseline year |  |  |  | |
| 2023 Science-based targets (SBTs) validated |  |  |  | |
| Year | Indicative carbon emissions offset | All scopes, indicative emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Future projection | ||
| 2032 Deliver the rapid decarbonisation needed to meet our near-term SBTs |  |  |
| By 2040, we will reach net zero We will prioritise carbon reduction efforts |  |  |
* Indicative only. See Springer Nature’s Scope 3 supplement for detailed information about Scope 3 emissions. ↩
Our targets to reduce GHG emissions were validated by the SBTi.
We published these targets in our inaugural net-zero supplement, alongside our first full scope 3 inventory.
99% of Springer Nature’s electricity use is now from zero carbon sources.
Springer Nature employees completed our first compulsory training on environmental sustainability, as part of the values and conduct training programme.
We continued to publish research from across the SDGs. This article in Nature Climate Change on the future of the West Antarctic ice shelf was covered by more than 1,500 news outlets in all parts of the world.
Nature was named Environmental Personality of the Year at the 24th Ecovidrio awards in Spain for its extensive track record in disseminating the latest climate related scientific discoveries and research.
Case study
Building sustainability
In 2023, we conducted an energy audit at our London office as part of a scheme administered by the Mayor of London’s office. Plus, our new office in Pune, India – designed with sustainability and employee wellbeing in mind – is LEED platinum certified.
Case study
Green Office Network initiatives
In 2023, the Green Office Network experienced significant growth with more than 250 new members, bringing membership to 400. The network ran multiple sustainability initiatives in 2023, and its many achievements included:
- 0 trees planted
- 0s of shared rides for sustainable commuting
- 0+ kgs of waste collected in clean-ups
- 0s of plastic items removed from our office
- 0 plants installed in offices
- 0 paper cups saved
Taking action on carbon
We have been carbon neutral since 2020 and are now working toward science-based targets with an aim to be net zero carbon by 2040. We will achieve this by focusing on emissions reductions over the next 10 years.
| Progress and next steps | Status |
|---|---|
Targets validated by the SBTi in 2023. |  |
Launched and rolled out mandatory training. | |
158 potential actions identified at our global sites. | |
Reduced office space by 7.4% in 2023. | |
Action plans for each area of the business are under development. |  In progress |
Formed a specialised team to prepare our applications for cloud deployment. | In progress |
Gathered usable carbon intensity data from some of our largest suppliers. | |
