Caesars Ups the Ante, Sets Scope 3 Science-Based Targets

Gaming giant Caesars Entertainment, which operates 40 properties with 60,000 employees, is turning to the vendors that supply its casino empire to help dramatically cut the company's greenhouse-gas emissions.

Among commitments made by the Las Vegas company is a 95 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 from 2011, partially through the purchase of power from a nearby desert solar farm.

“Our big news is all about climate change. We’ve stood up and taken a serious stand and have set science-based carbon-reduction goals,” said Eric Dominguez, vice president of facilities engineering and sustainability for Caesars, during a recent interview at Sustainable Brands in Vancouver.

Caesars is one of over 400 global organizations that has committed to business leadership and policy alignment on climate through the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi), and one of just over 100 companies to have their targets approved.

The SBTi is a collaboration among the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute, and World Wide Fund for Nature. Targets adopted by companies to reduce greenhouse gas  emissions are considered “science-based” if they are in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures.

“I think we’re setting the bar on this one,” Dominguez said of the scope 3 emissions goal in the company’s verified science-based targets.

This level of commitment helps to further accelerate the momentum of reducing environmental impact as it relates to the operations a company doesn’t directly control, including supply chain and vendors. This indirect influence also makes it one of the most ambitious goals for a company. With thousands of suppliers, Caesars recognized the importance of engaging the full supply chain in order to create meaningful impact, Dominguez said.

Commitments include reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30 percent by 2025, and 95 percent by 2050 from a 2011 base year.  Caesars said 60 percent of its suppliers, calculated by spend, would institute science-based greenhouse-reduction targets for their operations by 2023.

Watch our interview with Dominguez here.

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