Throughout 2020 and continuing at this writing, the world has faced unparalleled challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to thank the talented, committed and dedicated team at Air Products for working tirelessly to safely operate our 750+ production facilities, supply customers with essential industrial gases, and execute global megaprojects that are enabling a transition to a cleaner energy future.
The transition is real. There has been a fundamental shift in public opinion to truly confront climate change, with governments and businesses adopting frameworks to accelerate the shift. Through Air Products’ base industrial gas business, our customers across dozens of industries are reducing their energy use, increasing productivity and lowering emissions. In fact, in 2020, customer-avoided CO₂e emissions totaled 72 million metric tons, or three times our CO₂ emissions. Meanwhile, Air Products is driving sustainable growth by building, owning and operating the world’s largest gasification, carbon capture and hydrogen projects. This includes our $3.7 billion investment in NEOM to produce and deliver carbon-free hydrogen to power buses and trucks around the world by 2025.
Put simply, sustainability is our growth strategy at Air Products. Sustainability creates our growth opportunities, and our growth opportunities support our sustainability goals and focus.
Setting and Achieving Meaningful Goals
Having successfully achieved a series of 2020 Sustainability Goals, we have set new goals, which you can read more about in this Report. One key commitment is our “Third by ’30” carbon intensity reduction goal, which is focused on reducing CO₂ emissions relative to the amount of energy we are delivering to the world. The goal is fully aligned with our business strategy, is near-term and measurable, and holds us accountable for delivering.
As ever, we want to continue to lead the industrial gas industry in safety. We also are driving a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging — where our people truly feel they belong and matter. Toward this end, Air Products set a goal to achieve at least 28% female representation globally and at least 20% minority U.S. representation in our professional and managerial population, by 2025. This aligns with our higher purpose, which is about bringing people together and having meaningful connections to collaborate and innovate solutions to the world’s energy and environmental challenges.
We have a dream for the future and through our actions, we are making our dream a reality. I can assure you of our continuing commitment and dedication to stand together and work together to make a difference for our world.
Thank you for taking time to learn more about Air Products’ sustainability efforts, plans and achievements and, as always, we appreciate your interest in our Company.
Seifi Ghasemi
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officers of Air Products