Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) has released its 2024 Sustainability Report
Westlake Corporation has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, the company’s eighth consecutive annual update detailing its voluntary sustainability initiatives, operational efficiencies, and long-term environmental strategy. This latest report marks a major milestone in Westlake’s sustainability journey: the company has successfully achieved its original 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions well ahead of schedule.
Early Achievement of 2030 Emissions Target
In the 2024 report, Westlake confirms that it has met its goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂e emissions per ton of production by 20% compared with its 2016 baseline. Scope 1 emissions stem from direct company operations, such as fuel use in manufacturing plants, while Scope 2 emissions arise from purchased electricity, steam, and other energy sources. By focusing on emissions per ton of production, Westlake has aligned its climate strategy with operational efficiency and business growth, ensuring that environmental performance improves even as the company expands its output.
Jean-Marc Gilson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westlake Corporation, emphasized that this achievement reflects a multi-year, organization-wide effort:
At Westlake, we are deeply committed to sustainability and continuous improvement. Achieving our goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂e emissions per ton of production by 20% from our 2016 baseline reflects the dedication and innovative spirit of our entire team. This milestone demonstrates our ongoing efforts to drive meaningful change for our business, our communities, and the environment.
Reaching this goal ahead of 2030 demonstrates that Westlake’s combination of technology upgrades, process optimization, energy-efficiency projects, and disciplined capital investments has delivered tangible emissions reductions, rather than aspirational targets alone.
New Emissions Target for 2030
With its initial 2030 emissions goal already met, Westlake is moving decisively to raise its level of ambition. The company has announced a new target: an additional 5% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂e emissions per ton of production by 2030, this time using 2024 as the baseline year. When combined with the progress already made since 2016, this will result in a total reduction of 25% in emissions intensity from the 2016 baseline by the end of the decade.
Progress toward this extended target will continue to be measured according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methodology, one of the most widely recognized and respected frameworks for corporate greenhouse gas accounting. This ensures consistency, comparability, and credibility in Westlake’s reporting over time.
Gilson underscored the importance of this new goal as a driver of long-term value:
Our ongoing commitment to sustainability is essential to Westlake’s progress and future growth. Targeting this new goal underscores the commitment of our team as we continue to reduce our environmental footprint and deliver lower-carbon solutions to address today’s climate challenges.
By linking climate performance with innovation and product development, Westlake is positioning itself to meet evolving customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and market demands for more sustainable materials and infrastructure.
Frameworks and Transparency in Sustainability Reporting
The 2024 Sustainability Report is structured around globally recognized reporting frameworks to provide stakeholders with robust, comparable, and transparent data. Key metrics and disclosures are informed by:
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI):
GRI standards guide Westlake in reporting on a broad range of environmental, social, and governance topics, including energy use, emissions, health and safety, diversity, and community engagement. Using GRI helps ensure that the company addresses issues that are material to stakeholders and reflects the broader impacts of its operations. - Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB):
SASB focuses on sector-specific financial materiality. By aligning with SASB standards, Westlake connects its sustainability performance with metrics that matter to investors and financial markets, such as resource efficiency, operational risks, and regulatory exposure in the chemicals and building-products industries. - Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD):
TCFD recommendations guide Westlake’s disclosure of climate-related risks and opportunities, governance structures, strategic planning, risk management, and metrics and targets. Incorporating TCFD elements enables stakeholders to better understand how climate change could impact the company’s operations, supply chain, and long-term business strategy.
Through these frameworks, the report offers detailed, structured information about Westlake’s products, manufacturing footprint, and locations across its two main business segments:
- Performance & Essential Materials:
This segment includes chemicals and materials that serve as building blocks for a wide range of downstream products and industries. The report addresses how efficiency improvements, process innovations, and energy-management initiatives in these facilities contribute to emissions reductions and resource conservation. - Housing & Infrastructure Products:
In this segment, Westlake focuses on construction and infrastructure materials that enable long-lasting, resilient structures. The report highlights how the company is working to provide lower-carbon, durable solutions that support sustainable buildings and infrastructure networks.
By organizing disclosures around these businesses, Westlake helps stakeholders see how sustainability is embedded in both its operational practices and product portfolios.
Continuous Improvement and Stakeholder Engagement
Beyond numerical targets, the 2024 Sustainability Report reinforces Westlake’s philosophy of continuous improvement. The company notes that the sustainability landscape—both in terms of regulation and reporting standards—is evolving quickly. In response, Westlake regularly reviews changes in global and regional reporting expectations, climate science, and best practices and adjusts its disclosure and strategy accordingly.
The company also emphasizes the importance of listening to and learning from a broad stakeholder base. Westlake actively seeks feedback on its sustainability performance from:
- Customers, who increasingly look for lower-carbon, responsibly produced materials and expect transparent environmental data to support their own sustainability goals.
- Employees, whose engagement, innovation, and operational discipline are critical for identifying efficiency opportunities, implementing new technologies, and maintaining a culture of safety and responsibility.
- Investors, who are paying closer attention to climate risk, regulatory exposure, and sustainability as drivers of long-term resilience and value creation.
- Suppliers, who play a key role in upstream emissions, raw-material choices, and logistics, and who are essential partners in reducing the overall footprint of Westlake’s value chain.
- ESG rating agencies, which evaluate Westlake’s performance on environmental, social, and governance indicators and provide benchmarks that the company uses to identify areas for further improvement.
By engaging with this diverse group, Westlake aims to refine its priorities, improve the quality and relevance of its data, and ensure that its actions and disclosures align with stakeholder expectations.
The 2024 Sustainability Report shows Westlake at a transition point: having met a significant climate target years ahead of schedule, the company is using that success as a platform to raise its ambitions and further integrate sustainability into its business strategy. The early achievement of a 20% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions intensity from 2016 levels underscores that Westlake’s approach—centered on operational excellence, investment in efficiency, and adherence to leading reporting frameworks—is delivering measurable results.
By committing to an additional 5% reduction by 2030 from a new 2024 baseline, Westlake signals that it views sustainability as a continuous journey rather than a single finish line. The company’s focus on transparent reporting through GRI, SASB, and TCFD, combined with active engagement of stakeholders ranging from employees and customers to investors and ESG evaluators, positions it to navigate evolving climate expectations and regulatory requirements.
Ultimately, the 2024 Sustainability Report presents Westlake as a company that is not only tracking against established goals but also redefining what is possible by setting new ones—using data, global standards, and stakeholder dialogue to guide its path toward lower-carbon operations, more sustainable products, and long-term value for its communities and shareholders.
About Westlake
Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions — from housing and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer
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