Visa has met its goal to use 100% renewable electricity by 2020 across the company’s global operations.
Since setting the goal in 2018, Visa has achieved the target across its offices in 76 countries and its datacentre, sourcing clean energy from wind and solar plants.
Visa chief executive Al Kelly said: “At Visa, we see both a responsibility and an opportunity to make broad shifts toward a sustainable and inclusive future.
“I’m proud of the investments we’ve made in our infrastructure to reach this important renewable energy milestone. We will continue to prioritise advancing the role of our business and industry in transitioning to a cleaner global economy.”
Working with local utilities and competitive electricity market providers, Visa leveraged renewable electricity options available in each market that ‘best fit’ the country’s approach to renewable electricity.
This has included Visa making local renewable electricity investments in markets where it has major facilities, including four locations in the US and the UK that account for 80% of its global electricity use.
Specific actions by Visa have included enrolments in renewable electricity programs offered by Total Energy in the UK, Xcel Energy in Colorado, Austin Energy in Texas and Peninsula Clean Energy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
With a commitment to support the broader renewable electricity transition, Visa also joined and followed the guidelines of RE100, a global collaborative of influential businesses committed to 100% renewable power.
By purchasing 100% renewable electricity, Visa has reduced its operational emissions from its facilities and data centres by almost 90% versus the company’s 2014 baseline.