In response to the climate crisis, "RE100" is an initiative aimed at expanding demand for renewable energy, signifying the goal of using electricity generated from 100% Renewable Energy. The campaign was created and is operated by the UK-based non-profit The Climate Group in partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and was launched at Climate Week NYC in 2014. Targeting companies that consume 100 GWh or more of electricity annually, companies that agree to participate in RE100 commit to sourcing their electricity from renewable sources recognized by RE100—such as solar, sustainable biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, and geothermal—rather than from electricity generated from fossil fuels.
RE100's target deadline is 2050. While member companies are free to set their own annual milestones, The Climate Group, which oversees the campaign, recommends targeting 60% achievement by 2030 and 90% by 2040.
RE100, which encourages voluntary participation, launched with 13 member companies including IKEA and has since grown into a campaign with 426 participating companies, including Apple and 3M. In South Korea, six SK Group affiliates—SK Inc., SK Materials, SK Siltron, SK Telecom, SK Hynix, and SKC—were the first to join RE100, and the number of participating Korean companies had grown to 36 as of 2023. However, achieving RE100 targets in South Korea is not easy, and there is criticism that among the participating companies, some have no renewable energy usage or have not obtained usage certification, suggesting that the interest in and membership in RE100 may be little more than a superficial gesture.
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