Today in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), Her Excellency Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Environment for the Government of Nigeria said “Today, I am able to announce the support of [14] SEAD members who have endorsed our Joint Statement for Action on Product Efficiency. These endorsements amount to the largest commitment ever between governments to improve product efficiency. The total savings potential of this joint commitment amounts to almost 465 coal fired power stations avoided over approximately 10 years.”

Her statement comes on the heels of Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia, and Japan joining 10 other governments in their commitment to the Product Efficiency Call to Action, which aims to double energy efficiency of four high priority appliances & equipment – industrial motor systems, air conditioners, refrigerators, and lighting – that account for 40% of total global electricity demand. Improving these products will also help people increase resilience to the warming climate – keeping cool and preserving food and medicines.

Realising these commitments across 14 countries could avoid 4.2 Gt of CO₂ emissions over approximately 10 years, and would help put the world on a path to net zero emissions. Across the world, doubling the efficiency of industrial motor systems, air conditioners, refrigerators, and lighting could reduce energy consumption by 6,700 TWh per year globally, equivalent to the generation of more than 3,000 medium-sized coal-fired power plants, and avoid 2.9 Gt of CO₂ emissions per year.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA added: “IEA analysis clearly shows the importance of energy efficiency on the path to net zero. These policies have already helped to halve the energy consumption of major appliances in many markets, allowing consumers to benefit from significant savings while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions. On behalf of the IEA, as co-organisers of the Call to Action, I would like to acknowledge the commitments of the governments that have endorsed our initiative. We hope to see other governments joining soon and look forward to working with them all to deliver the economic, social and environmental benefits of energy efficiency.”

Government support for the Call to Action is complemented by the commitments of businesses around the world through EP100 – the largest global network of energy smart business.

Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arcelik, said, “Arçelik is a proud member of EP100. We have always prioritized energy efficiency and strive to lead our industry with future-fit innovations. The urgency of the climate crisis calls for decisive action. We will continue to utilize our presence, particularly in emerging markets, towards achieving global net-zero targets.”

During the UK’s Presidency of COP26, membership of EP100 has doubled to 129 members. ‘We are thrilled to be working in partnership with the UK Government to leverage support from the business community. In doing so, we hope to help send a powerful signal of intent to government decision makers at COP26 in Glasgow,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group.

Global leaders on appliance energy efficiency, including United Kingdom Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Super-Efficient Appliance & Equipment Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, the International Energy Agency, and CLASP are spearheading the Call to Action.

Over 20 nonprofit energy and civil society groups have joined and endorsed the initiative. Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group, went on to say, “The science tells us that appliance standards will play a critical role in energy efficiency policy over the next decade to 2030. Therefore, it is crucial that we leverage the power of the world’s leading decision makers to raise ambition in this area.” Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group.

“We believe that the Product Efficiency Call to Action provides an ideal platform to work in partnership with many leading governments in this area to achieve meaningful results,” said Dean Cooper, Global Energy Transitions Lead at the World Wide Fund for Nature. “This initiative highlights a critical driver related to the global energy transition that is urgently required.”

To learn more about the Product Efficiency Call to Action, watch our video or follow #DoubleDownOnEfficiency across social media platforms.

So far, governments from Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Sweden and the United Kingdom have signed onto the commitment.

—

About the SEAD Initiative: The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative is a voluntary collaboration among governments working to promote the manufacture, purchase, and use of energy-efficient appliances, lighting, and equipment worldwide. SEAD is an initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM).

About UK BEIS: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) brings together responsibilities for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation, energy, and climate change. The Department is in charge of developing and delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy and leading the Government’s relationships with businesses, along with securing affordable and clean energy supplies to the country. In particular, it deals also with ensuring cutting-edge research, science and innovation within UK.

About the IEA:  The International Energy Agency (IEA) is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations, and real-world solutions to help countries provide secure and sustainable energy for all. It is the global authority for energy data, analysis and policy advice. The IEA also facilitates the exchange of knowledge through its training programs, workshops, and research collaborations, and works to support energy efficiency globally with partners and at key global fora such as the G7 and G20. The IEA helps governments unlock the vast potential of energy efficiency, advising them on developing, implementing and measuring the impacts of policies.

About CLASP: CLASP serves at the epicentre of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency. CLASP works hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest-quality, lowest resource-intensive products possible. CLASP has worked in more than 100 countries since its inception in 1999

About EP100: EP100 is a global initiative led by the international non-profit Climate Group, bringing together 129 forward-looking businesses committed to maximising energy efficiency. Members are driving technology innovation and reducing emissions while making substantial cost savings and improving competitiveness – inspiring others to follow their lead. EP100 is delivered in association with the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.

We thank our endorsing NGOs & Civil Society organizations: The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, University of Birmingham, Climate Analytics, the Climate Group Initiative EP100, Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, E3G, Future of Cooling Programme at the University of Oxford, Green Alliance, RMI, Sustainable Energy for All, UNIDO, United Nations Environment Programme, United 4 Efficiency, and World Wide Fund for Nature.

For media inquires, please contact Alexia Ross at aross@clasp.ngo.