Geotab releases first sustainability report, charting path to net-zero

TORONTO and GLASGOW - November 3, 2021 - Acknowledging the pivotal role it plays as an enabler of low-carbon fleets and supporting infrastructure, Geotab Inc. (“Geotab”), a global leader in IoT and connected transportation, today announced its commitments to helping fight climate change via its inaugural Geotab Sustainability Report. The report, which leverages 2019 as a baseline for measuring Geotab’s 2020 sustainability efforts and results, lays a foundation for future reports and presents long-term goals for the company’s business. It underscores Geotab’s continued commitment to climate action, a heightened focus on reducing emissions across the company’s entire ecosystem and its alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

In its report, Geotab has set an ambitious new target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, one decade earlier than called for in the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

"Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time,” said Neil Cawse, Chief Executive Officer of Geotab. “Our commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 is not just about us – it’s about creating a better world for the generations to come. And as a global leader in connected transportation, we have a unique opportunity to work with our peers and partners to help move the commercial transport ecosystem to carbon neutrality. This is something we take very seriously—from being a core driver in our innovation and product strategy, down to the companies with whom we do business, and the tactical decisions our team makes on a day-to-day basis. We recognise that setting targets is easy -- achieving those targets is hard. We see this as a painful necessity that we, along with our forward thinking customers, must do in order to do the right thing for our future."

Geotab’s sustainability efforts are organised into four key pillars: safeguarding the environment, sourcing responsibly, providing innovation that helps organisations do things better and do better things, and creating positive impact in communities. In 2020, highlights across the four pillars included:

• Focused efforts on product innovations that drive more sustainable and safer transportation operations for its customers. By building products and services that enable and drive sustainability, Geotab has created relationships and educated and found customers that can benefit most from them
• Established relationships with critical partners, like vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers, governments and other key drivers within the transportation ecosystem that are crucial to making the green transition to sustainability
• Set a near-term target for Scope 1 and 2 to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% by 2030. Committed to achieving net-zero for Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2040 (see * near the end for Scope definitions)
• Achieved 19% reduction in Scope 1 emissions, 16% reduction in Scope 2 emissions, and 32% reduction in Scope 3 emissions
• Voluntarily issued commitments and joined initiatives including to lowering carbon emissions: The Climate Pledge, Science Based Targets Initiative, United Nations Global Compact, CDP, We Mean Business Coalition, and Race to Zero
• Diverted 54.6% of waste from landfills through adoption of a corporate-wide sustainable approach to recycling built on culture, communication, and collection
• Achieved multiple employer recognitions including Great Place to Work, Best Workplaces (overall, as well as for Inclusion, Women, Mental Wellness, and Today’s Youth)
• Established a Corporate Social Responsibility Task Force to create definitive action plans to advance environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts across global operations

Leveraging Data to Reduce Emissions and Waste

Geotab embarked on its sustainability journey after creating its first greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 2019. Aligned with the GHG Protocol methodology, Geotab’s GHG emissions inventory details the company’s direct and indirect emissions, and marks the start of its journey to becoming net-zero by 2040.  

It is Geotab’s goal to continue decreasing its carbon emissions by measuring and managing its overall footprint annually. Some examples of the company’s plans to achieve its goals include putting into place greener energy sources for its buildings, reducing materials and other carbon-emission elimination strategies.

Beyond its efforts within its own operations to drive to net-zero, with the transportation sector accounting for a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, Geotab recognises that its greatest impact on climate change can be realised through its focus on helping its more than 50,000 global customers and partners achieve sustainable transportation outcomes. With over 2.5 million vehicles using Geotab worldwide, its customers’ fleets emitted over 25 million metric tons of CO2 in 2020. An increase in efficiency by even just 5% would equate to a decrease of CO2 emissions by 1.25 million metric tons per year. Examples include: 

• Geotab’s Green Fleet Dashboard  provides organisations with insights related to fuel and energy consumption, GHG emissions, EV utilisation and driver behaviour to help reduce fleet emissions and monitor the success of green initiatives. Its Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment tool is helping organisations determine how to replace their internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles.
• With its big data capabilities, Geotab also advances industry knowledge of EVs. The company is able to provide insights on EV performance data, including battery degradation trends and how factors like temperature impact operations. Policy makers and members of the EV industry at large can additionally access vehicle movement and electrification datasets aggregated by Geotab as a useful tool to inform strategy and develop solutions to solve real-world challenges.

Cawse continued, “As a technology leader, we are in a unique and important position to fight climate change by driving other companies’ low-carbon transportation initiatives with our own products and services. Since our data-driven insights empower fleets to understand, act upon, and scale their efforts in reducing their emissions, this is where Geotab, along with our partners globally, can make the biggest difference. We can be the catalyst to helping our customers, partners and suppliers to improve energy efficiency, conserve resources and meet their own climate change goals.”

Cawse, as well as other Geotab executives, will be participating in the Sustainable Innovation Forum, being held November 8-10, 2021 in Cessnock Quay, Glasgow alongside COP26. There they will be addressing the company’s sustainability initiatives and technology, and the journey to sustainable transportation.

The Geotab Sustainability Report will be released annually. It can be accessed here.

*Scope 1, 2 and 3

Geotab’s Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources that are owned or leased by the company, while Scope 2 includes indirect emissions from the generation of energy purchased by the company. The company’s Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that are not owned or controlled by Geotab but are related to its activities and operations, such as emissions created across the supply chain.