Dec 20, 2023

3M was honored to take part in COP28 – the annual UN convention on climate change hosted recently in Dubai – and remains committed to the event’s theme of "Unite. Act. Deliver." Through its presence and engagements, 3M worked to reinforce its sustainability commitments, celebrating the power of collaboration, fostering climate innovation, and advancing environmental justice.

Celebrating commitment and collaboration

In recognition of the indispensable role of customers and partners in its success, 3M opened COP28 with a celebration of these key stakeholders and a demonstration of its unwavering commitment to fostering a resilient ecosystem. The event centered around what’s known as the triple bottom line: “People, Planet, and Profit” and included dialogue between 3M’s chief sustainability officer, Gayle Schueller, and fellow global CSOs Katie McGinty from Johnson Controls and Ann Tracy from Colgate-Palmolive,.

“It's exciting that today we have an opportunity to help reinvent an equitable and carbon-free world,” said Schueller. “Engaging with fellow CSOs and a broad stakeholder community at COP28 confirms plans and actionable steps are under way to make it happen. As a scientist, I'm confident science-based, innovation-led solutions will help improve lives for communities around the world as we mitigate climate change and drive to positively impact people, planet, and profits.”

3M’s commitment to building a sustainable future was recognized during the AmCham Dubai COP28 Kickoff with the announcement that the company will continue to serve in the upcoming year as the American Chamber of Commerce in Dubai Sustainability Co-Chair, alongside GE. During this event, Schueller opened a Global CSO panel alongside Roger Martella from GE and Mary de Wysocki from Cisco.

Fostering climate innovation

In a 3M-hosted global panel entitled Accelerating Climate Innovation on the Road to Net Zero, Schueller participated in a dialogue with Jim Coulter, Executive Chairman and Managing Partner, TPG Rise Climate, Santosh Kumar Singh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Adani Green, and Johanna Schiele, Policy Officer, EU Commission - DG CLIMA. These cross-sector leaders discussed the current state of climate technology, identified areas requiring change, and explored how government, investors, and companies can collaborate to support advancements.

As a nod to the importance of communication and storytelling in driving action on climate change, 3M’s session opened with a poetry performance by Chris Redmond, Artistic Director of the Hot Poets, in collaboration with Resilience Frontiers. His poem “Blink” highlighted how creativity and innovation are driving climate solutions and was inspired by three 3M scientists—Jayshree Seth, Cory Sauer, and Jens Eichler.

The themes of communication, trust and corporate responsibility carried over into an event featuring 3M, Oxford University, ADNOC, and GlobeScan around driving climate action in a time of skepticism. Representatives discussed how the climate tech industry is at the cutting edge of innovation, and common measures, standards and benchmarks are still evolving. They highlighted how this makes the industry difficult to regulate and the urgent need for consistent and transparent science-based metrics – noting that it's not enough for companies to simply talk about their actions, they need to show tangible progress.

Additionally, 3M facilitated discussions on climate communications with Bayer, advised on the intricate dynamics of climate finance alongside Boston Consulting Group, and was invited to join the UNFCCC and Resilience Frontiers to discuss how innovation and creativity are powerful tools for climate impact.

Advancing environmental justice

While using science and innovation to develop climate solutions is key to making a positive impact on the planet, 3M knows that scientists, advocates, academics, businesses, and governments must also work together on solutions for its people – particularly those most impacted by climate change.

To help drive its environmental justice commitments, 3M joined GlobeScan and Standard Chartered as they delved into the critical topic of a just transition in the Global South. 3M also drove a conversation on empowering and upskilling youth to prepare for a more sustainable future as part of discussions with the World Green Economy Organization. To highlight the need for intergenerational leadership and engagement, Amanda Yates, 3M’s senior sustainability director, participated in an event at Hope House. Yates discussed how climate change can disproportionately affect women, and how these same women can use their critical role in communities to be driving forces for change.

In addition, 3M held multiple meetings and roundtables with policymakers, government officials, NGOs, and other critical stakeholders during COP28. These discussions focused on driving a just transition and accelerating climate innovation on the road to achieving net-zero emissions.

On the heels of its energizing and action-oriented COP28 engagements, 3M is more committed than ever to help drive a sustainable and equitable future and encourages all stakeholders to collaborate on this critical mission.

To learn more about 3M's sustainability initiatives and commitments, please visit 3M.com/sustainability.