German automotive supplier Bosch is to be the first major industrial company to become fully carbon neutral. Volkmar Denner, Bosch Chief Executive, said that rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, drought, and flooding made it imperative for companies to act without delay to stop the planet from overheating and endangering global stability. In action to this calling, the Stuttgart-based company has taken its first steps towards the mission with ambitious plans of becoming fully carbon neutral by 2020.
Denner said in a statement:
“Climate change is not science fiction; it’s really happening. If we are to take the Paris Agreement seriously, then climate action needs to be seen not just as a long-term aspiration. It needs to happen here and now.”
About one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions are from manufacturing facilities, according to the International Energy Agency. Bosch admits that it currently emits around 3.3 million metric tons of CO2 emissions every year. Through the making of spark plugs and diesel injection systems, the company consumed 7.8 terawatt-hours of energy in 2018 – equivalent to the annual power consumption of all private households in Berlin and Munich.
Aims To Reach The Goal
They will achieve their goal by:
- increasing energy efficiency,
- expanding the share of renewables in its energy supply to as much as 40 percent,
- buying in more green power,
- and, offsetting unavoidable CO2 emissions. For example, they will finance climate protection projects such as wind power in the Caribbean or forest conservation in Africa to offset just under 40 percent of its energy consumption.
Promise
By 2020, the company will no longer leave a carbon footprint. This will include their engineering, manufacturing, and administrative facilities, thus making Bosch the first major industrial enterprise to achieve such a grand goal in a little over a year.
They have promised to make their entire business, over 400 locations worldwide, completely carbon neutral. Overall, the company will invest €1 billion (US$1.12 billion) into buying green electricity, engaging in carbon offset programs, and sourcing power from renewables.
