Ford Reaffirms 2050 Carbon Neutrality Commitment

Back in June 2020, Ford announced that it planned on becoming carbon neutral across its entire global operations by 2050, a term that refers to achieving zero carbon emissions by balancing such emissions with carbon removal. To achieve that goal, Ford has focused on three specific areas that account for approximately 95 percent of its CO2 emissions – vehicle use, supply base, and the company’s facilities. Much has changed over the past five-plus years, but Ford recently reaffirmed its commitment to achieving this goal, regardless.

At the recent New York Climate Week event, Bob Holycross, Ford’s Vice President, Chief Sustainability, Environment and Safety Officer, touched on this particular subject, and even stated that Ford is accelerating its mission toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It’s doing this via the company’s new Universal EV Platform set to underpin a variety of future models, along with its expanding hybrid lineup and efforts to reduce emissions at its manufacturing facilities and supply chain.

“We’re making tangible progress in reducing emissions across our vehicles, operations and supply chain, having achieved a 49 percent reduction in absolute global operations greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions since 2017,” Holycross said. “And since 2019, we have had a 16 percent reduction in total Scope 3 GHG emissions, which are indirect emissions occurring in a company’s value chain, encompassing both upstream and downstream activities.”

“Ford’s commitment extends beyond our vehicles,” Holycross added. “Our manufacturing sites are models of innovation, conserving water, reducing waste, recycling materials and improving energy efficiency. By 2027, all manufacturing in Michigan will be powered by the equivalent of 100 percent carbon-free electricity, including wind and solar.”

Along with slashing greenhouse gas emissions at its various existing plants, new facilities – like BlueOval City – are using carbon-free power from the day they open. As Ford Authority reported early last year, Ford still has plenty of time to achieve its 2050 goal, though it still has quite a lot to do to get there.