American Express Company 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

GRI INDEX
Reducing our carbon footprint
CARBON AND ENERGY GOALS AND PROGRESS
We aim to minimize the effects our operations
have on global climate change.
OUR GOALS
2015 PROGRESS
Between 2007 and 2012, we reduced our
carbon emissions by 27.5 percent. We achieved
this reduction through on-site green power
generation, energy efficiency initiatives and
purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs).
In 2015, we reduced our absolute carbon
emissions by 10 percent compared to 2011,
putting us firmly on track to achieve our 2016
goal of a 10 percent reduction.
At the end of 2015 we achieved an efficiency
increase of 38 percent compared to 2011,
exceeding our 2017 goal of an efficiency
increase of 35 percent.
35 %
Increase in energy
efficiency by 2017.
10 %
decrease in
absolute carbon
emissions by 2016.
38 %
achieved efficiency increase
at the end of 2015.
10 %
absolute carbon emissions
reduced compared to 2011.
2015 CARBON FOOTPRINT BREAKDOWN
25%
Employee business
travel (air, rail, car)
12%
Corporate vehicles
168,895
METRIC TONS CO 2
63%
Energy
consumption
Our carbon footprint comprises:
the electricity we use to power our
offices and data centers; the fuel
we use for freight and employee
business travel by air, rail and cars;
and the diesel and natural gas we
burn to heat our facilities and power
back-up generators.
We follow the GHG Protocol for
measuring and reporting our
emissions. Since 2007, we have
reported our carbon emissions
through the Carbon Disclosure
Project (CDP), the world’s leading
environmental disclosure and
performance rating system, and
have steadily improved our score
each year.
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