Engineering plastics producer Covestro, the former Bayer MaterialScience, has announced plans to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 50% against the 2005 level as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals.

Saying, “We are very fortunate to have a board that has a desire to push the sustainability agenda,” the company’s chief sustainability officer, Richard Northcote, said he is confident the company can achieve its new climate targets by the deadline.

“We set our first target of a 20% reduction of CO₂ emissions in 2005 and hit this within six years. We then set a target of 30% and achieved that within three years. The next target was 40%, and, while we are still on the home stretch, we are already planning for a new record,” Northcote added.