Honeywell announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Nations (UN) Environment to help promote sustainable economic development and raise awareness on the importance of increasing energy efficiency in the region.
The signing took place at Honeywell’s regional headquarters in Dubai and was completed by Erik Solheim, executive director, UN Environment, and Norm Gilsdorf, president, Honeywell High Growth Regions, Middle East, Russia, Turkey, and Central Asia.
As part of the MoU, the two entities will support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13, which aim to provide affordable and clean energy for all, and to take action to combat climate change and its impacts, respectively. In addition, the MoU will focus on experience sharing and programmes to build capacity and enhance the contribution of the private sector in protecting the environment.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Solheim said: “UN Environment is the world’s leading environmental authority, tasked with promoting sustainable development through partnerships that protect our planet and inspire positive change. By working with Honeywell and others in the private sector, together we can take urgent action to combat climate change while delivering affordable and clean energy for all.”
Commenting on the agreement, Gilsdorf said: “At Honeywell, we are blending physical products with software solutions to connect people and businesses to the information they need to be more efficient and more productive every day. With nearly half of our annual revenue linked to energy efficiency technologies and solutions, we are helping the world face its energy challenges, and we are proud to work closely with UN Environment to raise awareness around climate change and clean energy.”
“Honeywell is committed to developing technologies and solutions that help our customers and stakeholders become environmentally friendlier, safer and more sustainable,” said Julien Soulet, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Fluorine Products, EMEA.
“This strategic partnership with UN Environment allows us to support the Middle East region’s push to phase out ozone-depleting substances, like hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), as well as high-global-warming-potential (high-GWP) substances such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) through the use of low-global warming alternative solutions such as hydrofluoro-olefins (HFOs).”
Worldwide adoption of Honeywell low-global warming HFC alternative solutions, known collectively as the Solstice® product suite, has resulted in the reduction of more than 60 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases to date, equal to eliminating emissions from more than 12 million cars.
Honeywell and its suppliers have completed a $900mn investment programme in technology development and new capacity, based on Honeywell’s HFO technology, which helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance.
