In the mood for some good climate news?

Have you heard of the Gigaton Challenge? It’s a commitment by our enterprise, Trane Technologies, to eliminate one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from our customers’ carbon footprints by 2030.

To put that into perspective, one billion metric tons of carbon is equal to about 2% of the world's annual carbon emissions. That might not sound like a lot, but the fact is that 2% of global emissions is equal to all the annual emissions of Italy, France and the United Kingdom combined.¹  It's equal to the annual GHG emissions of more than 200 million passenger vehicles, or the CO2 that comes from 100 billion gallons of gasoline burned in engines.  

As a brand of Trane Technologies, Trane Commercial will contribute to this giant initiative. When you consider that some 21% of annual global GHGs are related to building and home heating and cooling², we here at Trane Commercial are in a unique position to prevent a significant amount of GHGs from being emitted.

Of course, addressing one billion tons of carbon emissions doesn’t happen overnight, which is why the Gigaton Challenge is conceived as a multi-year process, not a single event. Reaching the goal of one gigaton of carbon will require years of ongoing effort, and steady enhancements to efficiency.

Trane Commercial’s Role in Achieving Our Enterprise Goals

Well, we can’t do it alone. We started years ago through innovation at our core, with the development of efficient equipment, which consumes less electricity and emits fewer GHGs. Another major efficiency driver is electrification, the steady transition away from fossil fuel-consuming equipment in favor of electrical equipment like heat pumps instead of traditional boilers. Refrigerant transition from high-GWP refrigerants to low-GWP refrigerants presents another major opportunity to lower their environmental impact.

But this is only the start. Beyond working with our partners, suppliers, and customers to reduce our Scope 3 GHG emissions, we are leading by example in our own operations to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

And while we might have been one of the first in the industry to lead the drive for positive change, thankfully we are not alone in these efforts. Increasing numbers of major companies are coming to see the role they can potentially plays as catalysts for change — and they are only the most conspicuous members of a community that includes countless smaller brands, all of whom are answering the call to reduce not only their own carbon footprint, but those of the companies they work with.

As of 2022, Trane Technologies reduced 93 million metric tons of CO2 from our customers’ footprint.² Trane Commercial customers included Powhatan School district, who cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,500 metric tons of CO2e while reducing energy costs by 20%. Our 2030 commitment, and the progress to date, showcase how we are continuing to work toward a sustainable future.

[1] https://www.tranetechnologies.com/en/index/sustainability/gigaton-challenge.html

[2] https://www.tranetechnologies.com/content/dam/cs-corporate/pdf/sustainability/Trane_Technologies_Gigaton_Challenge.pdf