Achievement signifies milestone in RWS’s sustainability journey

RWS, a unique, world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property solutions, announces that its near-term science-based emissions reduction target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The approval is a key milestone in RWS’s sustainability journey.

In 2022 RWS took measures to enhance the accuracy of its carbon footprint by improving data collection and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to include both its operations and supply chain and has now committed to setting carbon reduction targets which are aligned with the SBTi.

The SBTi is a corporate climate action organization that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to play their part in combatting the climate crisis. Its standards and tools allow companies to set targets for the reduction of GHG emissions.

In February 2024 RWS submitted two GHG inventories for review by the SBTi Target Validation Team. The SBTi Target Validation team classified RWS’s scope 1 and 2 target ambition and has determined that it is in line with the 1.5°C trajectory (i.e. it is aligned with a rate of decarbonization that is consistent with keeping global temperature increases to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial temperatures). SBTi also notes in its report that RWS has chosen to report on its emissions beyond the minimum disclosure requirement.

Near-term Targets

  • RWS commits to reduce its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 54.6% by the end of its financial year ending 30 September 2033 (FY33) from a FY22 base year.
  • RWS also commits to reduce scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services and employee commuting by 61.1% per million GBP value added within the same timeframe.

Ian El-Mokadem, CEO of RWS, said: “The SBTi is the gold standard for defining the pathway to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions and we’re proud of this recognition of our commitment.

“Sustainability is core to the way we operate and we will continue to ensure that we’re doing all that we can to combat the climate crisis.”

Click here to learn more about RWS’s corporate sustainability policy and here to access SBTi’s website.

About RWS

RWS Holdings plc is a unique, world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content and intellectual property services. Through content transformation and multilingual data analysis, our combination of AI-enabled technology and human expertise helps our clients to grow by ensuring they are understood anywhere, in any language.

Our purpose is unlocking global understanding. By combining cultural understanding, client understanding and technical understanding, our services and technology assist our clients to acquire and retain customers, deliver engaging user experiences, maintain compliance and gain actionable insights into their data and content.

Over the past 20 years we’ve been evolving our own AI solutions as well as helping clients to explore, build and use multilingual AI applications. With 45+ AI-related patents and more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, we have the experience and expertise to support clients on their AI journey.

We work with over 80% of the world’s top 100 brands, more than three-quarters of Fortune’s 20 ‘Most Admired Companies’ and almost all of the top pharmaceutical companies, investment banks, law firms and patent filers. Our client base spans Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and North and South America. Our 65+ global locations across five continents service clients in the automotive, chemical, financial, legal, medical, pharmaceutical, technology and telecommunications sectors.

Founded in 1958, RWS is headquartered in the UK and publicly listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (RWS.L).

For further information, please visit: www.rws.com.

RWS Denis Davies Corporate Communications ddavies@rws.com +44 1628 410105