Baker Hughes’ Dedication to Advancing Sustainability Practices Impacting Business, Communities, and the Planet

This blog is part of our series spotlighting leaders in the pursuit and development of Responsible Renewables projects. This series is being hosted in collaboration with Schneider Electric and Korn Ferry. For a background on responsible renewables, we encourage you to start with the introductory blog, which explores the issues and opportunities.  

Continuing our mission to highlight responsible renewables, we are thrilled to feature partners who are driving change in their industries. Our goal is to not only showcase the impactful work of these leaders and influencers but also to provide comprehensive educational resources on the evolving landscape of responsible renewables.  

In our latest installment of the Responsible Renewables series, we spotlight Baker Hughes, a pioneering force in energy technology with over a century of expertise. Specializing in the development, manufacturing, and servicing of transformative technologies, they are dedicated to advancing the future of energy.  

We had the pleasure of speaking with Allyson Book, Chief Sustainability Officer at Baker Hughes, exploring her remarkable journey and her pioneering efforts in the realm of Responsible Renewables projects. Book’s background and her profound commitment to sustainability have been pivotal in reshaping Baker Hughes’ approach to sustainability and energy transition. Following are some insightful highlights from the conversation. 

What is your background in sustainability and what led you to a career at Baker Hughes? 

Allyson Book: I came to sustainability by accident. During my childhood, my dad managed farmland in Iowa, where sustainable living practices were integral.  I remember as a kid, asking for things and my dad would ask, “Is this something you need or, something you want?” This upbringing instilled a "waste not, want not" attitude and a focus on necessity over luxury. In my late 20s, I traveled to West Africa and witnessed the environmental impact of a lack of sustainability. Seeing trash lining waterways and washing ashore in another country was a critical moment for me. I believe if people could truly grasp the impact of their everyday choices on the rest of the world, it would significantly influence their decisions. That experience fundamentally changed my perspective and reinforced the importance of addressing sustainability on a global scale. 

My career began working for a major petroleum company, before transitioning into sustainability. I began focusing on technologies related to energy transition, carbon capture, and storage. 15 years later, I joined Baker Hughes as the first Chief of Sustainability Officer, overseeing the company’s energy transition strategy, a pivotal role and natural progression, aligning perfectly with my areas of expertise and passion for sustainability. 

What was Baker Hughes' position on sustainability when you arrived, and how has it evolved since then? 

Allyson Book: When I joined Baker Hughes, the company had made an early climate pledge but wanted to build a cohesive sustainability program. My job was to develop a strategy, to increase efficiency and reduce emissions, that would drive the company to meet its net -zero targets. Although the company had been reporting emissions, there was need for higher rigor in governance and strong audit for reporting emissions. We knew we had to revamp our approach, recalculate our emissions baseline, and integrate sustainability into our corporate strategy. This journey transformed our approach, resulting in improved ratings and inclusion in sustainable portfolios. Today, Baker Hughes understands the energy demand isn’t going away, and works diligently to reduce its impact achieving a sustainable balance.  

How does Baker Hughes approach partnering with customers and addressing their reluctance to change? 

Allyson Book: It's been fascinating to see how the approach to partnering with customers and addressing reluctance to change has evolved at Baker Hughes. Initially, we had to educate and increase awareness within our workforce, especially among employees who may have viewed the energy transition as a threat. However, we emphasized the importance of the energy transition as a gentle shift rather than a sudden change, gradually winning over the employees and embedding sustainability into our core behaviors. 

Externally, the landscape of partnerships has shifted as well, with companies reevaluating their roles in the energy transition. Traditional competitors are now finding alignment as partners, and some customers are seeking to transition into technology providers. This fluidity in the partnership landscape presents exciting opportunities for Baker Hughes as we venture into new fields and explore adjacency in its partnerships including manufacturing, digital, inspection technology, and our classic oilfield service and equipment peer groups. 

Overall, our approach involves understanding the changing needs and perspectives of employees, partners, and customers in the context of the energy transition, paving the way for innovative collaborations and a more sustainable future. Exciting times lie ahead as Baker Hughes navigates this dynamic landscape! 

What is Baker Hughes doing at the national policy level to have an impact on sustainability conversations? 

Allyson Book: We focus on market creation through policy setting and engage with governments to facilitate technology scaling through funding and partnerships. Specifically, we work on areas such as PFAS usage in manufacturing and carbon accounting to ensure accurate emissions reporting. We prioritize responsible use of PFAS to avoid any potential hazards. Our focus on carbon accounting led us to align with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, though challenges persist, especially in accounting for product-related emissions. Our commitment to transparency drives us to address these issues and advocate for a comprehensive accounting approach that includes saved, avoided, and removed emissions across all scopes. This holistic strategy is crucial for a successful energy transition and underscores the importance of technology and policy working hand in hand. 

Which accomplishment or project are you most proud of at Baker Hughes? 

Allyson Book: Our Carbon Out program. It is the cornerstone of our sustainability engagement where employees actively drive carbon reduction projects. It began with a small group brainstorming session, aiming to motivate a large workforce to change their behaviors, with a primary focus on employee -driven ideas. It launched as a pilot with a few individuals, it has now grown to over 500 carbon champions, leading to significant energy savings and a 28.5% reduction in emissions versus our 2019 baseline. The program's success paved the way for employee engagement strategies across our sustainability initiatives, including our Renew program with over 1100 participants demonstrating the power of scalable, employee-driven sustainability efforts. 

Do you have hope for the energy transition more broadly, more globally? 

Allyson Book: I am an optimist, but also realistic. While there are challenges in educating people on sustainability basics, I believe that the need for change will become more apparent as environmental impacts worsen, prompting collective action. 

Final thoughts: 
Allyson Book's journey exemplifies how strong leadership and a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability can drive meaningful change. Her work serves as a testament to the transformative power of responsible renewable projects in shaping a sustainable future. 

Subscribe to our mailing list to join us as we expand on the topic of responsible renewables in a blog series that will feature conversations shaping the future of responsible renewables. Each month, we will publish a new blog spotlighting another important voice working to address responsible renewables, including developers, corporate buyers, community members, and NGOs.