Porsche wants a carbon-neutral balance sheet by 2030

Porsche has announced it’s aiming for a completely CO2-neutral balance sheet across the entirety of its value chain by 2030.

The Stuttgart firm says that, while the goal will inevitably be a difficult one, it is steadfast about ensuring a greener future for its products.

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“Sustainability is an important part of our Strategy 2030 – holistically: on economic, ecological and social terms,” said Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume.

“We launched a comprehensive decarbonisation programme with a firm target in mind: Porsche wants to have a CO2-neutral balance sheet throughout the entire value chain in 2030. We will achieve this by systematically avoiding and reducing CO2 emissions.

"We are committed to the Paris Agreement. The EUtalks about 2050, many competitors about 2040, but it's not about record times, it's about responsibility. Every step counts.”

Porsche says it has already taken a number of steps in the right direction to ensure this goal is met, including making its two factories in Germany – Zuffenhausen and Leipzig – completely CO2-neutral through employing renewable energies and biogas.

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The sports car maker has put its battery suppliers on notice too, saying that it will only do business with manufacturers who are also committed to carbon neutrality.

“In the next step, we will also demand this from our suppliers. Anyone who develops battery cells for us must manufacture them exclusively with sustainable energy," Blume said.

“Batteries are still produced in a very energy-intensive way. By obliging our suppliers to use sustainable energy, the carbon footprint will improve significantly.

“And the battery itself will be more than 90 per cent recycled in ten years, at the latest. At the same time, we will reduce polluting substances such as cobalt in batteries in the future.”

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Porsche has also announced that its newest soft-roader, Taycan Cross Turismo, will be the first Porsche ever made that will be CO2-neutral “throughout its use phase”.

The carmaker added that it will also be investing more than $1.5 billion dollars in green energy solutions including wind turbines, solar energy and other efficient methods.

“We don't want to compensate, but to avoid. We don't want to buy CO2 certificates from other companies, we want to avoid CO2-emissions wherever we can. Where energy cannot be saved, we use electricity from renewable sources,” Blume added.

Porsche is also expected to make more announcements about its heavy investment in synthetic fuels, a technology that could potentially off-set a massive carbon footprint while retaining the internal combustion engine.

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As previously reported by WhichCar, the Stuttgart marque has partnered with Siemens Energy, and will produce 130,000 litres of climate-neutral eFuel by 2022.

Dubbed the Haru Oni project and located in southern Chile, the new venture between the two firms will aim to step up production to 55 million litres of eFuel a year by 2024, and then to 550 million litres by 2026.

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Be sure to watch this space, as Porsche is expected to make more announcements about its green future in just a few short hours at its annual press conference.