Global marketplace juggernaut Prosus Group and Naspers, its South Africa-based parent, have signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Signatories to the pledge, which was founded by Amazon.com and NGO Global Optimist in 2019, include more than 375 businesses committed to taking action to tackle climate challenges.
Prosus said that the two companies’ commitments under The Climate Pledge included regularly measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.
They will also “implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business change and innovation, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions and other carbon emission elimination strategies.”
The companies will further “take actions to neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net zero annual carbon emissions by 2040” — ten years ahead of the goal set out in the United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement.
“As a new signatory of The Climate Pledge, we reaffirm our commitment to lead in the transition towards a greener economy. The Climate Pledge is a unique platform to drive urgent joint action, to address the most critical climate challenges,” said Prajna Khanna, global head of sustainability at Naspers and Prosus.
The companies stated that they “recognize the power of technology to create solutions for some of the world’s most pressing needs, such as climate action,” adding, “Our portfolio of asset light, digital platforms can support the transition to a lower carbon economy by providing alternatives to traditional brick and mortar businesses and support for circular-economy innovations.” Their classifieds businesses also enable a “wider systemic transition” to the circular economy, they said.
Prosus, which is majority-owned by Naspers, has a primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam (AEX:PRX) and secondary listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (XJSE:PRX) and a2X Markets (PRX.AJ).