DitchCarbon Report Finds "Race to Zero" Companies Leading the Charge in Climate Action

LONDON, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite global economic uncertainty and shifting policy signals, corporate climate action continues to show remarkable resilience and measurable impact. According to DitchCarbon's new analysis, Scaling the Impact: RTZ Companies' Journey in Corporate Climate Action, they examined 3,212 corporate members of the Race to Zero (RTZ) campaign over the two-year period from 2022 to 2024.

Collectively, these companies reduced by 51.1 million metric tonnes of CO₂ during this time.

That's the same as the emissions stored in over 500,000 fuel trucks, enough to form a continuous line between New York and Los Angeles.

The report reveals that meaningful decarbonisation is firmly underway, even amid supply chain disruptions and uneven regulatory developments. In 2024, 16.8% of RTZ companies achieved absolute emissions reductions, maintaining steady progress consistent with previous years. Additionally, 25.6% of companies reduced Scope 1 and 2 intensity, while 13.4% achieved upstream Scope 3 intensity reductions — underscoring the persistent challenge of addressing supply chain emissions.

Over 43% of RTZ companies increased their use of renewable energy, reinforcing its role as the most impactful lever for near-term decarbonisation. Meanwhile, 9.2% adopted sustainable procurement practices. "RTZ companies are demonstrating that corporate leadership can drive measurable outcomes while laying the foundation for systemic transformation." the report states.

Steady Progress in Transparency and Benchmarking

In 2024, 55% of RTZ companies had disclosed the emission data, maintaining strong transparency levels only slightly below 2023's record 58.6%. Benchmarking performance also improved, with 16% of companies scoring in the top percentile of DitchCarbon's climate benchmarking index — a sign that corporate sustainability maturity continues to deepen.

Emissions Reductions: Momentum Across Scopes

Corporate progress on emissions reductions has maintained steady momentum over the past three years. In 2022, 10.6% of companies achieved absolute emissions reductions, rising to 17.9% in 2023 and stabilizing at 16.8% in 2024. This pattern suggests that while the pace of improvement has leveled slightly, a core segment of companies is sustaining consistent action toward decarbonization — signaling a maturing phase of climate integration across corporate strategies.

Notably, 25.6% of companies reduced their Scope 1 and 2 intensity, while 13.4% achieved reductions in upstream Scope 3 intensity. The gap between these figures highlights a persistent challenge: while direct operational emissions are increasingly within control, decarbonizing value chains remains complex and dependent on collaboration with suppliers.

At the same time, over 43% of Race to Zero companies increased their use of renewable energy, reaffirming that renewables remain the most accessible and impactful lever for near-term emissions reductions. However, as Marc Munier, founder of DitchCarbon cautions, "future impact will depend on expanding beyond renewables to engage suppliers, reform procurement practices, and embed circular economy principles." His point underscores a crucial next step — moving from internal energy transitions to systemic transformation across entire value networks.

Leaders Turning Ambition into Action

The white paper highlights how several RTZ companies are setting new standards for climate leadership:

• Apple achieved a 36% reduction in total upstream emissions from 2022–2024 while maintaining revenues. Over 100 suppliers participated in its Supplier Energy Efficiency Program, saving 2 billion kWh of electricity and avoiding 1.7 million tonnes CO₂e.
• AECOM cut ~30% of upstream emissions while increasing revenue by 20%, driven by low-carbon procurement and supplier innovation, including pilot projects for zero-carbon cement.

These case studies demonstrate that companies combining renewables, efficiency, and supplier collaboration outperform peers and build resilience into their decarbonisation strategies.

A Decisive Moment for Corporate Climate Leadership

As the report concludes, the next 18 months represent a pivotal window for companies to transform incremental gains into lasting impact. Strengthening collaboration across value chains and sustaining high-quality disclosure will be key to defining what real net zero leadership looks like this decade.

"The data is clear: the companies leading today are not just cutting emissions — they're reshaping how value is created. They're changing how procurement works in our global economy, innovating new materials, and scaling better forms of energy. Corporate climate action is entering a new phase of strategic maturity."          - Alex Rudnicki COO, DitchCarbon

About Race to Zero

Race to Zero is a global campaign rallying non-State actors – including companies, cities, regions, financial, educational, and healthcare institutions – to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030.

About DitchCarbon

DitchCarbon is the enterprise Scope 3 platform that turns supplier data into actionable, business aligned reduction plans. Making scope 3 calculation easy and scope 3 reduction possible.

We help leaders like Amazon, Pfizer, and Grant Thornton move from data wrangling to decisive integrated climate action.

Sources

For a full list of sources and the underlying data please contact DitchCarbon press@ditchcarbon.com