Swedish electric performance car brand, Polestar, has joined the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and UN Race-to-Zero. The brand was founded as a standalone car manufacturer in 2017 to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility but is continuing to do more to help the planet.
The Exponential Roadmap Initiative connects innovative, transformative and disruptive businesses committed to taking action in line with the 1.5-degree climate target, through exponential climate action and solutions.
Polestar is in good company with many big brands signing up to the initiative. These include Google, Microsoft, WWF, Ikea, Scania and Nestle.
The target, outlined in the Paris Agreement, means restricting a global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This will be crucial to hold off some of the worst impacts of climate change and avoid irreversible damage to societies, economies and the natural world.
By joining the initiative, Polestar has committed to going further than the decarbonisation of its products and reduction of value chain emissions. The brand aims to integrate climate action deeply into its business strategy while working to influence wider society, towards net-zero.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, said: “We listen to the science that tells us that we are not moving fast enough to stay within the 1.5-degree climate target. The automotive sector can have a profound effect on this and we have to step up.
“Our partnership with the Exponential Roadmap Initiative will give us the opportunity to collaborate on climate strategies with companies who share our level of ambition. We also hope to use this platform to influence decision makers and climate policy.”
Being a pure electric carmaker, Polestar’s most important mission is to scale up business exponentially, enabling a faster phasing out of fossil fuel vehicles. The reduction targets are therefore relative, focusing on cutting emissions on each car.
Polestar has committed to lead development around minimal material and manufacturing carbon footprints, increased usage of the cars, green charging and work towards full circularity. A good example of this is Polestar’s factory in China runs on 100 percent renewable electricity and has no industrial water discharge.
In April 2021, Polestar announced the Polestar 0 project, a moonshot goal to create a truly climate-neutral car by 2030, without the use of offsetting through measures like tree-planting. Polestar aims to be fully climate neutral across its value chain by 2040.
Once again it’s great to see brands in the electric car space leading the way in sustainable mobility. This not only in terms of creating zero-emissions vehicles but looking at the whole process and supply chains to help create a cleaner future.
Fredrika Klarén, Polestar’s head of sustainability, said: “We want to help change the narrative around climate change so that we start focusing on what actually creates impact. And we want to inject hope.
“Our company contributes to the exponential growth of solutions that can transform our world and build a sustainable society, and we are open to share what we do and collaborate to make that transformation happen.”
Johan Falk, head of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, said: ”The race to zero is a journey of rapid decarbonisation, in which all companies must contribute to halving global emissions before 2030 towards net-zero on a global basis.
“It is also a journey of exponential growth, where innovators and disruptors play a key role through exponential climate solutions and action. Therefore, we are delighted that a frontrunner like Polestar join us”
