Google, Ikea, Unilever call for ‘clarity’ on role of carbon removals in Europe

Letter from business leaders calls on EU lawmakers to set clear climate goal and make ‘maximum carbon removal reliance’ explicit

Google, Ikea and Unilever are among more than 100 companies asking EU lawmakers for clarity on the role carbon removals will play in the bloc’s climate goals.

In a letter sent last week, the firms told the European Commission, Parliament and Council that climate mitigation measures should be the “absolute priority”.  

However, they said, an assessment was necessary to determine the “maximum share of emissions expected to be eliminated through nature-based carbon removals and technological removals”. 

“Having clarity on the role these solutions are expected to play would improve transparency and accountability by making the assumed maximum carbon removal reliance explicit.” 

The letter also called for a “robust” EU decarbonisation target that provided companies with a “clear course” to transition their businesses.  

The Commission’s plan to introduce a 90% emissions reduction target for 2040 has been under fire since the European elections last summer, but the bloc’s climate chief, Teresa Ribera, has reportedly confirmed she will stick with the goal.  

According to a report in Politico today, Ribera said Member States will be given some additional “flexibilities” to mitigate the political pushback. 

Signatories to last week’s letter, which also include Danone, Iberdrola, Heineken and Signify, insisted the 90% “should be considered as the floor rather than the ceiling for ambition”. 

“Integrating the target into a comprehensive industrial strategy, guided by a ‘competitive sustainability’ approach, will allow the EU to lead the global race of development of sustainable industrial ecosystems and industries,” it added.