The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation has pledged to be carbon net zero by 2030.
Inspired by Harry and Meghan’s “long-standing commitment to the planet, both together and prior to their union”, the company has committed to cut its carbon emissions over the next few years.
“Achieving net zero carbon emissions means making a series of choices over time to make that footprint as small as possible, while compensating for any remaining emissions through high-quality carbon removal projects," the foundation said on its website.
“As an organisation, we will work with an independent consultant to track all Archewell-related activities from our inception [internet use, commutes and electricity in home offices, for example] to understand our collective footprint.
“Using 2022 as our baseline year, they will develop a plan for Archewell that aligns with the latest guidance from leading organisations like the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science-Based Targets initiative, while offsetting remaining emissions until we achieve net zero in 2030 and beyond.”
The foundation said that Harry’s sustainable tourism initiative Travalyst and the investing firm Ethic, in which the couple have invested, will advise the foundation on focusing its investments “in support of a low-carbon economy”.
“Carbon emissions are a part of nearly every activity in daily life – the food we eat, the electricity we use and the internet we are connected to, for example. The totality of these actions comprises our ‘carbon footprint'," a representative of Archewell said.
“Today’s commitment is that Archewell, including Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be working with experts to assess the sum total of our emissions and develop a plan of action to reach net zero.
“Achieving net zero carbon emissions means making a series of choices over time to make our footprint as small as possible, while compensating for any remaining emissions through investments in carbon removal projects like reforestation.”
Harry and Meghan set up their Archewell Foundation organisation after leaving their royal roles.
The foundation has partnerships with a range of academic, tech and charitable organisations.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
