TÜV SÜD Advances Towards Net Zero by 2050

TÜV SÜD has reaffirmed its commitment to climate and resource protection by taking meaningful steps to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. While our company’s ecological footprint is comparatively modest to companies in other industries due to our role as a technical service provider, we remain focused on actively addressing the environmental consequences of our business activities.

In the UK, recent efforts include the completion of several emissions reduction projects and a shift to sourcing 100% renewable electricity. These measures have significantly reduced our dependence on imported energy.

We have also joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aligning our climate goals with the 1.5°C target set out in the Paris Agreement. Our targets were approved by SBTi in January 2025 underscoring our intention to play a responsible role in the global effort to limit climate change.

Looking ahead, we continue to explore additional initiatives to support our target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Full details of its strategy and ongoing progress are set out in the TUV SUD Ltd Carbon Reduction Plan 2025.

Leon Youngs, Head of Sustainability Services:

“By using our own Sustainability Services team to report our annual UK carbon footprint, we have leveraged their carbon accounting and auditing experience to identify areas for improvement within our organisation. We are proud to be a company making a positive contribution towards the global climate crisis, whether it be through our day-to-day business activities or the services we offer our customers.“

Commitment to Achieving Net Zero

In line with the UK Government’s commitment under the Climate Change Act 2008, and subsequent 2019 revision, TÜV SÜD is committed to achieving net zero by 2050.

Specifically:

• By 2050, we aim to achieve net zero emissions from our business activities by reducing all key GHG emissions along our value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3) by 90% compared to the 2019 baseline year. The residual, unavoidable GHG emissions will then be offset by means of climate protection projects to permanently absorb and remove carbon from the atmosphere (removal projects).
• To make an additional positive contribution to climate protection, from 2025 onwards we want to voluntarily offset all remaining GHG emissions over which we have significant influence (Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3: business travel) by making use of carbon certificates in accordance with recognised standards. We have already voluntarily offset around 16,500 t CO₂e using Gold Standard carbon certificates.
• In 2022, we joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), committing to align our operations with the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement. This reflects our dedication to continuously reducing GHG emissions across our value chain in line with scientifically validated methodologies. In January 2025, TÜV SÜD, of which TUV SUD Ltd is a regional entity registered in the UK, had our net zero, near-term and long-term targets validated by SBTi.
  • Overall net zero target: We commit to reaching net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050.
  • Near-term targets: We commit to reducing our absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2023 base year. Additionally, this includes reducing our absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from Category 1, 2, 4 and 6 by 25% within the same timeframe.
  • Long-term targets: We commit to reducing our absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 90% by 2050 from a 2023 base year. Additionally, this includes reducing our absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% within the same timeframe.

You can view our corporate commitments in our TÜV SÜD - Annual Sustainability Report 2024 and our validated SBTi targets in the SBTi Targets Dashboard.

100% Green Electricity

Up until November 2024, TÜV SÜD in the UK purchased green electricity tariffs for 40% of its electricity use, while the remaining 60% of electricity use came from conventional electricity tariffs (ie fossil fuel). From November 2024, we have only purchased green electricity tariffs for electricity consumption.

Emissions Reduction Projects

In early 2024, we installed significant PV generation capacity at our two main UK test sites in Fareham (415 kW + 64 kW) and East Kilbride (164 kW), and this started generating in March 2024. We see the positive impact of this emissions reduction project in our carbon footprint.

We recently expanded our ISO 14001 (Environment Management Systems) certification to cover the whole TUV SUD Ltd operation.

Plans for a Sustainable Future

To further reduce our GHG emissions and overall environmental footprint, we’re considering implementation of the following initiatives:

• Continue to improve our data collection capabilities across all scopes of GHG emissions, noting that this may lead to (vide supra) apparent increases in emissions, in which case we will provide comparisons based on ‘old’ and ‘new’ approaches
• Ensure that sustainability remains at the forefront of how we operate as an organisation and increase employee awareness of the impact of their decisions on emissions
• Continue to strengthen our TUV SUD Ltd Environmental Policy
• Continue to strengthen our TUV SUD Ltd Travel Policy to encourage low carbon travel choices where practically and economically feasible
• Implementation of ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems
• Implementation of ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement

Achieving EcoVadis Gold for Sustainability Performance

TÜV SÜD has been awarded EcoVadis ‘Gold’ status for our sustainability performance in 2024 putting us among the top 5% of all participating companies. 

EcoVadis is one of the world’s best-known providers of business sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis assessment methodology is built on international sustainability standards including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), United Nations Global Compact and ISO 26000. Its sustainability scorecard illustrates performance across the four themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. 

We are proud that our actions reflect a clear commitment to responsible business practices and climate leadership. As we work towards our 2025 net zero target, we continue to prioritise sustainable solutions and transparent progress.

Our Sustainability Services to Support Your Organisation’s Journey to Net Zero

If your organisation needs support on its journey to net zero, find out how we can help you with our carbon management services and comprehensive portfolio of sustainability services.