Cummins has a long history of supporting EPA’s authority to regulate our products for pollution and carbon emissions. We, along with several industry partners, signed an Amicus Brief in the West Virginia v. EPA case supporting this authority for stationary sources. EPA’s nation-wide air regulations are critical to maintain business certainty and drive innovation  in the commercial vehicle sector. We look forward to working with EPA on a Phase 3 fuel efficiency rule for trucks that is tough, clear and enforceable, just like we did for the Phase 1 and 2 rules. Also, recently the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) filed a lawsuit regarding California’s Heavy Duty Omnibus clean truck regulation. While Cummins is a member of EMA and works with EMA on many issues, Cummins previously chose not to participate or financially support this litigation. We similarly look forward to working with EPA, states, and other interested organizations and stakeholders to promote regulations that are achievable and better the environment now and along the way to a future of zero emissions. 

Discussion topics ranged from climate change to environmental justice as well as the state of PLANET 2050, the company’s environmental sustainability strategy, and Destination Zero, Cummins’ newest initiative to guide its decarbonization journey.

“It is very exciting to see how Cummins has embraced our PLANET 2050 goals and announced important efforts so we can do our part to preserve clean air, available water and a sustainable planet for future generations to enjoy,” said Vice President Jim Fier, the company’s Chief Technical Officer, in a note to employees introducing this month’s activities.

Cummins is committed to taking a leadership role on the world’s climate challenges, working with other stakeholders to take action. The company is reducing the carbon produced by its core products, including internal combustion engines, while bringing to market the new technologies that will power the future, including battery-electric platforms and hydrogen fuel cells.

Board member addresses employees

This year’s kick-off event was a presentation by Cummins Board Member Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz, a former NASA astronaut and founder, Chairman and CEO of the Ad Astra Rocket Company. Ad Astra is a leading spaceflight technology company dedicated to the development of advanced plasma rocket propulsion.

The former astronaut and Ad Astra have been pioneers in exploring the potential of green hydrogen as a no-carbon fuel to address the world’s climate issues.

Chang Diaz shared his perspectives on various technologies and the best course of action to address the environmental challenges the world faces. About 1,300 employees watched the live event or a video recorded of it.

Other presentations included a discussion on “How do we heal the planet?” featuring Dr. Sailesh Rao, founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers, a non-profit dedicated to healing the Earth’s climate.

Dr. Rao worked on internet communications infrastructure for 20 years after obtaining his doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University before dedicating his life’s work to environmental concerns.

How strategies align

Environmental Month also served as an excellent opportunity to discuss how Destination Zero aligns to PLANET 2050 and the company’s business strategy. Cummins’ PLANET 2050 strategy includes nine environmental goals timed to 2030, building on the success of the company’s environmental goals announced in 2014 and timed to 2020.

In addition to the new goals, PLANET 2050 includes the aspiration to power customer success with net-zero emissions technology by 2050. Destination Zero is the company’s strategy to achieve that aspiration in a way that serves all of the company’s stakeholders. Company leaders believe the global drive to reduce carbon is a growth opportunity for Cummins.

Even employees who do not have a role directly tied to the company’s products can be part of the PLANET 2050 initiative by volunteering on a community-based environmental project or joining Cummins' PLANET 2050 Influencer program, designed to raise awareness about the company’s environmental efforts. More than 250 employees have volunteered for the influencer program, so far.

Brian Mormino, Cummins’ Executive Director of Technical Environmental Systems, told employees attending his Environmental Month presentation that PLANET 2050 aligns seamlessly with Destination Zero, which connects with the company’s business strategy.

“Together, they provide a path to making a positive impact on the environmental challenges we face that aligns with Cummins’ mission to make people’s lives better by powering a more prosperous world,” Mormino said. “We can’t have a prosperous world without clean air, water and land, and every employee has a role to play.”

Cummins is embracing the opportunity to be part of the solution addressing climate change by pursuing reductions in greenhouse gases (GHGs) from both the company’s internal combustion engines and new technologies. President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Rumsey pointed to Cummins’ Destination Zero initiative, the company’s strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 in a way that serves all of Cummins’ stakeholders and is sustainable for the company.

“Our industry plays a significant role in contributing to climate change – both the problem and the solution,” said Rumsey, who addressed Cummins’ climate strategy during the May 10 meeting. “We will lead our industry in the path to net-zero emissions because it is critical for our planet and future generations, and because it is a growth opportunity for us.”

There are five key capabilities, Rumsey said, that make  Cummins “uniquely positioned” to lead on the transition to a net-zero emission economy and decarbonization:

• First, the company is a leader in the key technologies for reaching zero tailpipe emissions in commercial and industrial applications as well as the “transition technologies” that lower carbon emissions from engine-based solutions broadly available today.
• Second, after more than 100 years in business, Cummins is a trusted partner in providing power solutions to leading original equipment manufacturers and customers, which “brings us visibility to opportunities and product plans, and economies of scale in production and service,” Rumsey said. 
• Third, the company knows its customers and applications, “each of which has unique technical, performance and service demands,” Rumsey said. “We have thousands of highly-skilled engineers who know how to adapt existing and new technologies into products our customers can actually use and afford.”
• Fourth, Cummins is building a combination of business segments “that have both the capability to serve the industry and the agility to pivot our product offerings depending on changes in regulations and infrastructure, advancements in technology and end user preference.”
• Finally, Rumsey said the company has invested significantly to attract and build the best talent and to “create an environment for innovation and long-term success that will increase shareholder value.” 

Diversity, equity and inclusion is critical to the company’s efforts to develop the kind of work environment that can lead the energy transformation.

“For us to win on the journey to decarbonization, we also need to create an inclusive environment to spur innovation, attract and build the best talent, and develop our next generation of leaders,” Rumsey said.

“…Diversity and inclusion is a core value at Cummins, and our leaders believe that diversity creates a strong, more competitive work environment that enables all employees to contribute fully, and ultimately, helps us attract and retain top talent,” Rumsey added. “To achieve that goal, we have implemented systems and processes to mitigate potential bias and ensure equitable hiring and advancement of all talent. By making room for everyone to succeed, we will win with the power of difference.”

Cummins has set the stage for success not just through Destination Zero but also PLANET 2050, the company’s environmental sustainability strategy, which includes science-based targets aligned to the Paris Climate Accords, with the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

“Sustainability is core to achieving our mission of making people’s lives better by powering a more prosperous world,” Rumsey said. “It’s what we’ve always done – we were the first company to embrace more stringent emission standards in the U.S. – and how we will keep operating.”

Cummins Powers Women unites leaders and employees around the world in finding solutions to gender inequality in our communities, reinforcing Cummins’ commitment to the advancement of women everywhere. Recently, Cummins Powers Women hosted a town hall for employees featuring Mary Chandler, Vice President – Community Relations and Corporate Responsibility, moderating a panel with Tom Linebarger, Cummins Chairman and CEO, and Gary Barker, CEO of Promundo-US. Their conversation highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for boys and men to progress gender equality.

Promundo-US is a global leader in advancing gender equality and preventing violence by engaging men and boys in partnership with women, girls and individuals of all gender identities. Cummins Powers Women partners with the organization in Europe on its Global Boyhood initiative, which involves young boys and their caregivers in after-school programs to address cultural and social norms about masculinity.

Linebarger and Barker shared their personal stories and the significance of gender equality in their lives by chronicling some of their most memorable experiences that have shaped their thinking. Linebarger discussed the urgency of achieving gender equality sooner. 
“Even outside of business, I think we can all agree that gender equity is better for everyone,” Linebarger said. “It’s time to make significant progress and find a solution for all of us to experience gender equity.” 

Their conversation focused on false views of masculinity, societal violence that plagues men and women, non-gender binary company policies for caregiving, and creating healthier forms of masculinity. “All men play a critical role in serving as allies and helping to find the solution for gender equity,” said Barker. “We, as men, live better when we become part of the solution.”  

Top 5 takeaways: 

• Gender equity benefits everyone. 
• Men have a place as allies working alongside women to achieve gender equity.
• Companies with non-gender binary policies have better retention. 
• Managers should provide a safe space and open conversation for employees who need to take parental leave or provide caregiving.  
• Everyone plays an equal role in breaking the cycle of gender-based inequities and helping to find a solution for gender equity. 

Cummins Powers women seeks scaled solutions wherever possible by partnering with a network of global nonprofit organizations that have existing, outcome-based programs focused on areas where significant barriers exist to the advancement of girls and women. While this discussion highlighted the importance of lifelong learning for boys and men, the program also focuses on educational attainment, law and policy changes, economic empowerment and personal safety. 

Watch the full event below!