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Lime and WWF have announced a new global partnership to create ‘more livable, pollution-free cities’.
The Ride Green initiative will include education initiatives to promote cleaner modes of transportation as well as local grassroots advocacy to advance more sustainable urban mobility and livable cities. The partnership is a joint collaboration between Lime and the WWF Cities Programme, which runs the global One Planet City Challenge, and more than a dozen countries. Lime operates shared e-bikes and e-scooters in over 120 markets globally across more than 30 countries.
“Today more than 50% of the world’s population lives in cities,” said Jennifer Lenhart, global lead for Cities at WWF. “Transport choices and availability plays a key role in the carbon intensity of city mobility.
“As cities build back post-COVID-19, we need to rethink transport alternatives, tackling air pollution, carbon emissions and congestion, working with policymakers to move from car-centric urban design to more human-centred, low-carbon and active transportation, like walking, cycling and shared micromobility. For this, WWF is excited to work with Lime to promote streets for people and healthier, pollution-free cities.”
Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime, added: “We believe the future of urban mobility is shared, is electric, and must be carbon-free. We’re thrilled to partner with WWF to make tangible progress in addressing the climate crisis while helping make cities healthier and more connected.
“We are excited to work with WWF to promote ways for people to access cleaner transportation with the goal of preventing more than 100 million vehicle trips a year by 2025.”
Ride Green will include three pillars, on education and engagement, promoting lower carbon and carbon-free transportation options; advocacy for improving urban mobility and reducing pollution; and carbon innovations by Lime to further improve the impact of micromobility impact on city transportation towards a carbon-free future.
Education
Lime and WWF will expand awareness of conventional mobility’s air pollution impacts and engage communities to choose for cleaner alternatives. The effort will seek to promote WWF’s global One Planet City Challenge, which helps cities align to the Paris Agreement on climate change and underscore the importance of sustainable urban mobility through WWF’s new Travel Better tool that includes climate change and air pollution data. The initiative will raise global awareness of the impacts of shifting away from cars to smarter, cleaner urban transportation choices like walking, bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters and public transportation.
Advocacy
The joint effort will harness the power of Lime’s millions of global riders and WWF’s 60 years of global conservation expertise and leadership to advocate locally in cities for reducing climate pollution, expanding mobility options, and creating safer streets. The advocacy initiative will leverage Lime’s recently-launched Lime Action platform and include local advocacy for mobility infrastructure improvements, reducing pollution, public transportation, and expanding access to mobility. The joint initiative will begin in over a dozen countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary, Romania, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand and South Korea.
Carbon Innovation
Lime is committed to being carbon negative throughout its business and entire value chain by 2025, and will simultaneously set an externally validated science-based carbon pollution target consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C and the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTi). WWF, World Resources Institute, and the UN Global Compact are members of the SBTi, the highest standard of carbon goals setting. Lime will also seek to expand the impact its service has on reducing pollution, in particular promoting how riders can reduce carbon emissions through their mode shift – scooter and bike trips taken instead of a private car, taxi or ride-hailing.
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