Ingersoll Rand Furthers Sustainability Goals By Joining Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center

Mar 25, 2016 12:30 PM ET

As the focus on sustainability continues to increase at Ingersoll Rand’s global facilities, partnering with Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Business Renewables Center (BRC) aligns with the company’s efforts to develop innovative energy solutions and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG).

RMI, an international environmental non-profit, engages businesses, communities, and institutions to shift to clean energy solutions in cost-effective ways. RMI believes that large corporations have the incentive, scope, and resources to speed adoption of renewable energy. RMI’s BRC does just that. The BRC is a member-focused platform that streamlines and accelerates the process for corporations pursuing large-scale deals for wind and solar energy. It provides access to its experts and network of companies pursuing similar efforts and provides tools and resources that make the corporate renewables procurement process better, easier, and faster.

“We’re pleased to expand our engagement with RMI as we continually strive to improve our own energy footprint, deliver innovative energy solutions to customers and position our lines of business to address society’s most pressing challenges,” said Owen Smith, director of global energy policy & strategy, Ingersoll Rand. “The BRC will enable us to better assess near-term transaction opportunities as well as the longer term role of renewable energy within our own operations and in customer solutions.”

“We are proud to welcome Ingersoll Rand into the Business Renewables Center,” said Hervé Touati, a manager director at Rocky Mountain Institute and leader of the BRC. “Corporate demand for renewable energy is growing, and IR’s commitment places it among a select group of corporations taking concrete action to meet their sustainability goals in part through transactions for large-scale wind and solar energy.”

Since publicly launching in February 2015 with 28 founding members, the BRC has grown to include nearly 90 companies. In 2015, corporations announced a record 3.44 GW of major renewable energy deals; more than 85% of those deals involved BRC-affiliated companies.

Ingersoll Rand is currently using and supporting renewable technologies, some of which include: the EcoWise portfolio of HVAC and refrigeration products; Thermo King solar charging systems; and Trane Renewable Energy and Power Solutions (TREPS) service teams.

In 2015, Ingersoll Rand’s deep focus on sustainability was recognized by a number of sustainability indices:

Ingersoll Rand Climate Commitment

Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, announced in 2014 the company’s Climate Commitment to reduce GHG emissions from its products and operations by 2030. The Ingersoll Rand Climate Commitment pledged to:

  • Cut the refrigerant GHG footprint of its products by 50% by 2020 and incorporate lower global warming potential (GWP) alternatives across its portfolio by 2030;
  • Invest $500 million in product-related research and development over the next five years to fund the long-term reduction of GHG emissions; and
  • Reduce company operations-related GHG emissions by 35% by 2020.

To date, the company’s Climate Commitment has supported the avoidance of approximately 2 million metric tons of CO2e globally, which is the equivalent of avoiding annual CO2 emissions from energy used in more than 270,000 homes and more than 2.1 billion pounds of coal burned. By 2030, the company expects to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 million metric tons.

For full details, refer to Ingersoll Rand’s annual Sustainability Reports.