Continental says it is offering its customers the opportunity to achieve carbon neutrality along the entire value chain today with Net|Zero|Now. The aim of the program is to enable customers with sustainability goals to neutralize the currently remaining “carbon backpack” of their relevant business with Continental, the company says.
Continental’s approach with its Net|Zero|Now immediate action program for climate change mitigation is based on recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change and relies on the principle of negative emissions and goes beyond conventional carbon offsetting, the company says. This means that no more emissions are generated for each product in the supply chain than are removed again from the atmosphere, for example through reforestation. On balance, net-zero is achieved and there is no additional burden on the climate.
Net|Zero|Now complements the reduction measures implemented by the company to date and sustainable innovations such as the Conti GreenConcept tire, which are designed to achieve carbon neutrality in line with the Paris climate agreement.
The focus of Net|Zero|Now is on Continental products and systems used in emission-free vehicles – from electric cars to hydrogen-powered buses and streetcars. Continental says it generated sales of almost €1 billion with emission-free mobility in the past fiscal year. The program means that for these vehicles, zero-emission mobility is already possible when it comes to the share of CO2 emissions attributable to Continental. Not only are they emission-free during their use, but the value chain relating to Continental is also carbon-neutral. Additionally, Net|Zero|Now is immediately available for the combustion-engine-vehicle and industrial business, helping companies meet the increasingly ambitious carbon neutrality targets on the market, the company says.
Continental says its sustainability ambition comprises four focus areas: carbon neutrality along Continental’s entire value chain, emission-free mobility and industry, a circular economy, and responsible value chains. Continental aims to fulfill its ambition by 2050 at the latest.