Logitech's Commitment To Achieve Zero Percent Carbon Emissions, Here's How

Logitech, mostly uses recycled plastic materials to manufacture keyboards and mice. (photo; doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Logitech plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 and create a "positive climate" from then on by removing more carbon from the air than it emits.

“We will be reducing our carbon production as a company and all of its suppliers and customers, by 50% by then, so this is a huge commitment”, CEO Bracken Darrell told CNBC on Thursday, September 9.

"A tree removes about two people's worth of carbon from the air, so it's a pretty efficient technology, but we don't think it's enough", Darrell said. “Until there is a technology where we can completely reduce carbon emissions to zero, we are very aggressively redesigning our products for sustainability”.

Logitech's announcement Thursday represents their latest environmental promise, as concerns grow around climate change and its impact on the planet and the economy. Still, many climate activists and experts say Logitech needs to be more aggressive and transparent in its plans to reduce its carbon footprint.

According to Prakash Arunkundrum, head of global operations and sustainability at the company, Logitech, which makes computer peripherals such as keyboards, webcams, and mouse, claims its products are already “carbon neutral” this year. He said Logitech achieved that target by investing in programs such as reforestation efforts to offset existing carbon emissions.

However, the company's net-zero carbon goal is a more ambitious next step and centers on reducing basic emissions by half, at least, by 2030.

“The offset itself isn't good enough”, Arunkundrum said in an interview with CNBC. “What we need to do is actually fundamentally also reduce our footprint, through the use of more sustainable materials and more renewable energy throughout the supply chain”.

The largest chunk of Logitech's carbon footprint comes from sourcing and manufacturing its products and packaging, according to the company's website. That's where he tried to change first.

By the end of this year, for example, half of Logitech's keyboards and mouse will include consumer recycled plastic. "We took it from there", said Darrell. "We're also looking for alternative ingredients, but until they're really available, we're trying to take what we use today and put it back into our products",

Arunkundrum said Logitech's promise of sustainability extends across its supply chain and the consumers who use its headsets, mouse and keyboards.

"Overall our footprint, not just what's in our four walls, we're going to take responsibility for it and figure out how to remove more carbon than the company creates", Arunkundrum said. "We think it can be done, that's why we're committed to this".

“We have to reach net-zero. We need to quickly achieve a positive climate, and if we, the little mouse company Logitech, can do this, I'm sure many others can do this too", he said. “Hopefully this is another aspiration that we have, which is to actually get someone else who has the potential to join us because if we could do this I'm sure there are many others with much deeper pockets who could easily do this".