Wednesday 7 April 2021

Polestar commits to creating carbon-neutral car – without offsetting

Swedish electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Polestar has announced it hopes to develop and release a 'truly climate-neutral car by 2030'.

The '0 project' aims to completely overhaul the way cars are manufactured, which the company claims will involve moving to a genuinely emissions-free process, rather than relying on carbon offsetting.

It says this approach will involve the "entire development process and value chain, from suppliers to retailers", and will see it increase transparency by disclosing the carbon footprint of all of its cars, tracing the source of 'risk materials' and attaching climate labels to its products.

the firm says the commitment follows warnings from environmental experts that offsetting is not a sustainable method of tackling climate change in the long-term.

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.”

Polestar’s Head of Sustainability, Fredrika Klarén, says: “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.”