Caterpillar Inc has announced the formation of a new educational program designed to support mining, quarry and aggregate industry customers on their energy transition journeys. The Pathways to Sustainability program is a four-year, multi-pronged experience that provides participants with holistic learning opportunities, energy transition project advisement and additional benefits related to sustainable product access. The program was discussed on Day 1 of The Electric Mine 2024 conference in Perth by Sean McGinnis, Caterpillar VP of Technology and Global Sales Support in his talk ‘The road to reducing emissions.’

The emphasis of the program is on understanding each participating company’s sustainability objectives and providing participants with information and tools that will help them understand where they are on their own unique journeys and where energy transition strategies may need to be customised to support individual actions. The program includes in-person and virtual training opportunities centred on six strategic areas impacted by the energy transition – strategy, people, product, process, technology and infrastructure. In alignment with Caterpillar’s 2030 Sustainability Goals, the program will explore opportunities to make an impact toward customers’ site emissions reduction objectives through multiple avenues, including the use of technology, reducing machine lifecycle waste, fleet-bridging strategies and solutions that can be applied today to improve efficiency.

The Pathways to Sustainability program is the next phase of Caterpillar’s sustainability offerings, building off of the company’s Early Learner program which was established in 2021. The Early Learner program includes electrification agreements with a select group of customers across the globe who are working with Caterpillar to test and validate the company’s new battery electric machines, and charging and infrastructure solutions.

Caterpillar Senior Vice President Marc Cameron explains: “To make a step-change, it will take the industry coming together. That is what our Early Learner program and now the Pathways to Sustainability program are all about – learning and working together toward a brighter future. We are proud to support our customers every step of the way as they design their own unique paths and goals, now and through the energy transition.”