Renat Heuberger
Founding Partner and CEO of South Pole ,
Europe
Social entrepreneur Renat Heuberger, a Founding Partner and CEO of South Pole, is a self-described game lover.
Right now, he’s playing the biggest and “most fascinating” game of his life and one that he knows the world can win — climate change.
Heuberger believes it is possible to move toward a low carbon economy, and he’s spent the past 20 years taking steps to make this happen.
His game strategy? Save the climate and create “new massive” business opportunities along the way.
South Pole is doing just that. As a globally leading climate action platform, the company develops and implements comprehensive emission reduction projects and strategies that turn climate action into long-term business opportunities for companies, governments and organizations.
A certified B corporation, South Pole has provided solutions to more than 10,000 companies to decarbonize and achieve net-zero emissions. Projects range from sustainable agriculture, forest conservation, waste management and energy efficiency to decentralized renewable energy. Across the world, South Pole is enabling thousands of companies, including Nestlé, L’Oréal and Tetra Pak, to achieve net-zero emissions.
It is the world’s largest developer of projects to cut carbon emissions and generate carbon credits. In 2021, the company reported the following achievements:
- Abated 170 million-plus tons of carbon dioxide.
- Created more than 175,000 jobs in emerging and developing economies.
- Improved more than 3 million lives.
- Produced more than 24 million megawatt-hours of clean electricity.
- Restored or protected 1.6 million hectares of land.
Before founding South Pole, Heuberger was the Co-founder and CEO of the myclimate foundation, one of the world’s first players in voluntary carbon action. As the Social Entrepreneur of Switzerland, elected by the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation, Heuberger truly believes that stopping climate change is possible, but to get the world to change its behavior – the message must change.
“Don’t create a doom and gloom picture,” he says.
According to Heuberger, people need to feel like they are part of the solution, and that’s what his company focuses on. Once people are invested and understand how they can make a difference, Heuberger knows this is a game the world can win.