In Polestar’s first annual review the Swedish electric performance car brand announces its moonshot goal to create the first truly climate-neutral car by 2030. Rather than just plant trees to offset carbon the electric car maker wants to become completely carbon neutral by eliminating emissions. The full review can be found here.
Environmental experts have warned that offsetting is not sustainable in the long run. Questions around the long-term carbon storage capacity of forests and soils remain, as a forest might be logged, devastated by fire or altered by climate change.
Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, said: “Offsetting is a cop-out. By pushing ourselves to create a completely climate-neutral car, we are forced to reach beyond what is possible today. We will have to question everything, innovate and look to exponential technologies as we design towards zero.”
Fredrika Klarén, Polestar’s head of sustainability, said: “We’re electric, so we don’t have to worry about combustion engines producing toxic emissions but that doesn’t mean our job is done. We will now work to eradicate all emissions stemming from production.
“Now is a historic and exciting time for carmakers, an opportunity to seize the moment, do better and dare to build the dream of climate-neutral, circular and beautiful cars.”
Climate action is already being incorporated throughout the Polestar business, and climate targets are integrated into the Polestar employee bonus system. Sustainability declarations, common in industries like food and fashion, will be applied to all future Polestar models.
Starting with Polestar 2 and initially disclosing carbon footprint and traced risk materials, labelling will appear on the company website and in Polestar Spaces, setting a unique transparency precedent for the industry. Reflecting continuous sustainability updates, additional details and information will be added over time.
It’s good to hear that Polestar and taking responsibility and helping to lead the charge to true carbon neutrality. Hopefully, other carmakers will opt to do the same to truly help the planet, and this encourage those brands that just buy green credits to meet local environmental rules to do more.
This continues Polestar’s good work that they have been already been doing in China. Here their state-of-the-art production facility in Chengdu runs on 100 percent renewable electricity and has no industrial water discharge.
Thomas Ingenlath added: “Consumers are a huge driving force in the shift to a sustainable economy. They need to be given the right tools to make informed and ethical decisions. This makes things very clear. Today, Polestar 2 leaves the factory gates with a carbon footprint. In 2030 we want to present a car that does not.”
