Industrial and consumer goods company Henkel, and lighting company Signify announced that they have joined the Climate Pledge. By signing onto the pledge, the companies are committing to reach net zero carbon by 2040. The new companies join other recent high profile signatories, including Verizon, Infosys, Best Buy, Schneider Electric, Siemens and Mercedes-Benz.

The Climate Pledge was co-founded by Amazon and climate change-focused organization Global Optimism, calling on signatories to achieve net zero carbon across their businesses 10 years ahead of the Paris Accord’s 2050 target.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said:

“By signing The Climate Pledge, companies around the world are taking collective action to protect our planet from the catastrophic impacts of climate change. We welcome Henkel as they join us in our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement. We are also excited for Signify, which achieved carbon neutrality earlier this year, to join The Climate Pledge with the goal of collaborating with other signatories and sharing best practices. These companies are demonstrating important leadership as they help us accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and protect the planet for future generations.”

Henkel operates across three business units, including Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care, and Laundry & Home Care. The company’s portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands includes Schwarzkopf hair care, Dial soaps, Right Guard antiperspirants, Persil, Purex and all laundry detergents, Snuggle fabric softeners, Loctite, Technomelt, and Bonderite adhesives. The company has set ambitious climate goals, including plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 65% by 2025 and 75% by 2030, and becoming climate-positive by 2040.

According to Amazon, Henkel has been working closely with the company to promote sustainable innovation, with initiatives including enhancing customer experience through new and sustainable packaging.

Carsten Knobel, Henkel CEO, said:

“Climate change is a global challenge, which requires our collective action. At Henkel, we want to make a positive contribution to protecting the climate. Based on our achievements to date, and in line with our ambitions for the coming years, we are pleased to join and support The Climate Pledge. Together with Amazon, Global Optimism, and the other signatories, we are committed to driving tangible progress and jointly taking action to limit global warming.”

Lighting company Signify’s brands include Color Kinetics, Philips, and Interact. Earlier this year, the company announced that it had achieved carbon neutral operations, and introduced plans to double its positive impact on the environment and society in 2025.

Harry Verhaar, Signify Head of Global Public and Government Affairs, said:

“We are pleased to join The Climate Pledge community, as it mobilizes companies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, 10 years early. We are committed to sharing best practices with other companies from our own journey to carbon neutrality in 2020, and to ramping up our positive impact on the environment and society.”

Christiana Figueres, Founding Partner of Global Optimism and the UN’s former climate change chief, said:

“The Paris Agreement provided a unifying roadmap for all countries, companies, and people to address the climate crisis by taking actions to ensure we do not exceed 1.5C in global warming. By joining The Climate Pledge, these companies are demonstrating both their ambitions for the future and for recovery now. Their actions and investments are creating sorely needed jobs, spurring innovation, regenerating the natural environment, and helping their consumers to buy more sustainable products. The growing collective of companies joining The Climate Pledge, acting in accordance with science, is cause for optimism.”