Tenneco Inc. has published the company’s third annual Sustainability Report. Covering operations during 2020, the report highlights Tenneco’s sustainability progress including the completion of a formal materiality assessment; the development of a framework to align the company’s corporate strategy to sustainability and focus efforts on key impacts; and the establishment of new goals that will drive further performance improvement.
Titled “Making Tomorrow Better,” Tenneco’s report was prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and covers metrics within the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Auto Parts Industry Standards, and features updates on a broad range of the company’s ESG initiatives, including:
Our People: Tenneco reported an enterprise-wide safety recordable incident rate in 2020 that decreased over 19 percent from 2019, reflecting the company’s ongoing focus to keep team members safe every day. Additionally, Tenneco launched the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action) Board to promote an inclusive culture, engage in thoughtful dialogue, and help attract and support diverse talent.
Our Planet: Tenneco is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations through energy efficiency and sourcing renewable energy. In 2020, Tenneco reported a 2.9 percent reduction in Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity and a 4.8 percent reduction in energy intensity enterprise wide. It also reduced waste intensity by 3.7 percent in select business units.
Our Products: In 2020, 41 percent of revenue came from products from Tenneco’s Clean Air and Powertrain business segments that directly contribute to fuel efficiency or emissions reduction. The company also saw an increase in the number of plants certified for product quality management (IATF 16949) to 97 percent from 92 percent in 2019.
“Throughout a challenging 2020, Tenneco remained committed to the safety of our global team members while continuing to improve our ability to operate our business in a sustainable, responsible manner,” said Brian Kesseler, CEO, Tenneco. “Good governance, risk management and managing our business impact remain top priorities for us; we know that ESG management is integral to our business strategy, financial performance, customer and supplier relationships, and investor expectations, as well as our continued goal of driving global mobility.”
In 2021, Tenneco appointed Kim Yapchai to the position of senior vice president and chief environmental, social and governance (ESG) officer, and elevated the ESG role to the company’s executive leadership team.
“Although we essentially met our 2021 goals a year early, we are focused on strengthening our business by meeting, or exceeding, our new goals and reporting progress. We are proud of our team members for driving this and for making a positive impact on our neighboring communities and the world around us,” added Yapchai.
Looking ahead, Tenneco has introduced a new set of long-term sustainability goals, achievable by 2030 from a 2019 baseline. These include a commitment to increasing both gender diversity globally and minority group representation in the U.S. to one-third each at the manager level or above; reducing its scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 30 percent; decreasing operational energy demand by 10 percent; and sourcing 15 percent more renewable energy.
“We have been recognized for our progress in the past and are excited about achieving these new goals over the next nine years with increased focus and dedicated resources to deliver results. Sustainability is key to operating excellence and is just one example of our corporate value to ‘Make Tomorrow Better’ in action,” added Yapchai.
To view Tenneco’s 2020 Sustainability Report in full, click here.
